Transformers Prime Season 3 Episode 4: Family
by LuisJM
Summary: With the news of what happened to Jasper, John and Elsa return to the states in search of his family to see if they are alive and safe. Little do they know is that his family has changed dramatically. How will John and Elsa react to this shocking turn of events. Family Paiging: Jack, June, John, and Elsa. Takes place after TFP: John and Elsa. Now Complete!
1. Everything Changes

**Hello again, everybody! This is LuisJM! Back with the fourth episode of my version of Transformers Prime Season 3. Got to say, I really do enjoy writing these beauties. It always gives me the pleasure in continuing something that will build to something completely phenomenal. Course I had to do other stories along the way, whether it be the TFP side story of Invasion where Jasper is attacked. The crossover of Five Nights at Freddy's and the Vocaloid characters in Five Nights of Miku's. And the plan I have by combining the Bioshock franchise with two of my all time favorite shows, Teen Titans and Transformers. Of course, Transformers Infinite is on a long hold because Henry Cerro (FictionFan1024) is predisposed as of this moment. His job is getting to him and he won't be back until February or March. It is getting frustrating for me since we are collaborating on that story and I'm waiting for him to finish with the action scenes of chapter eight while I'm done with nine and ten and going to work on eleven. So this is getting aggressively frustrating for me. Don't worry; you will get the updated chapter of Transformers Infinite when it's out. You have to be patient for a little longer.**

 **Anyways, let's get back to the task at hand. See, this one is going to be a difficult one because I did a story a while back. Mostly it involves a crossover of Transformers Prime and Gunslinger Girl, an anime about a group of girls turned super soldiers for an Italian underground anti Terrorist Corporation. It's back on Netflix if you want to take a look. However it's on Japanese with subtitles so reading it while missing the show itself could be a bitch. Anyways, I did one that involves Elsa de Sica and Jonathan Darby, the father of Jack Darby, since there is the mystery of what happened to Jack's dad during the show. I thought that he went to Italy to find the person that took his brother, Kevin's, life and get his revenge. In this story I made, it is when John and Elsa headed to Jasper to visit the family, only to encounter the Autobot/Decepticon war that his son got dragged into. Can explain more, but that would be to spoil anything I've done. You are welcomed to read it at this time as the story is called 'Transformers Prime: John and Elsa'.**

 **Now that I'm done with that story, I can get started with this episode involving John and Elsa coming back to search for his family after the events of Jasper. It takes place over a month after the invasion and would mostly focus on John and Elsa searching for his family. Problem is that he doesn't know that his wife and son have turned into Cybertronian soldiers and honorary Autobots and that Jack is a new Prime. And once he found out the truth, would he be able to accept it? It's going to be a very intriguing story and all of you can't miss this.**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **Now I did say this before, but I'll say it again…**

 **WARNING!**

 **This story not only takes place after John and Elsa, but during the third season of my Transformers Prime. If you read the season three episodes but didn't read John and Elsa, I suggest you do it now just to catch up on what you missed. However, if you did read John and Elsa and have no idea on what happened after, then read episodes one to three of my version of Transformers Prime Season 3. Last thing I want is for everyone getting confused at what was happening. Now that that little message is out of the way, let's get on to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girl**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Transformers Prime Season 3  
Episode Four: Family

Previously on Transformers Prime…

Somewhere in Italy is a government-funded organization known as the Social Welfare Agency. One the surface, the SWA is a charity association that gives those with disabilities prosthetic limbs to give them a second chance. But the reality is that it was a minor ploy to keep the public interested. What the Agency is is actually an anti terrorist organization that handles the Italian terrorist from the Republican Faction and the Padania. The way they do it is that they take young girls that are ill, fatally injured, or on the verge of death, give them prosthetic bodies, and turned them into super soldiers programmed to hunt and kill terrorists. With a brainwashing technique known as conditioning, each girl is given a handler to help train them into becoming the perfect weapon. These girls and handlers for a two men unit that is called Fratello, which in Italian is called Siblings, as they work together to remove these terrorists from attacking the country. The downside is that the condition shortens the cyborg lifespan as not all girls live to be in their teens. However, handlers do not condition their girls to the point of death unless it's necessary to control them.

One of these Fratello teams is Jonathan Darby and Elsa de Sica. Jonathan Darby is the husband of June Darby and the father of Jack Darby, who use to of worked for the U.S. military with his brother, Kevin. During the tour in Baghdad, Iraq, there was a car bombing in one of the streets near them. John survived as he was in the Internet Café, but his right ankle was cut very badly and he had to have extensive surgery to remove in infected muscle. Kevin though wasn't so fortunate as he got caught in the blast and was killed in an instant. All that remained was his dog tags that John kept as a grim reminder. John was completely devastated as he and his brother were a close-knit family and would never leave each other's side until that fateful day. When he learned that the bomb that was created is the same ones the Republican Faction used in Italy, he wanted to head down to that country to find the culprits. But due to his medical condition, he was soon discharged from the military. But that doesn't mean that he wasn't going to give up as he packed up all of his things to leave for Italy, but sadly leave his family until he returns from his vengeance. For years he was in Italy snuffing out lackeys and bomb makers to find the killers that took his brother. But at the same time, he was caught by the American embassy and warned him in not interfering with Italian police business or they would deport him back to his country. He was on the verge of loosing what he was working for. Then one day, an agent of the SWA, Jose, came in and gave him a proposition. He told him to join the agency so they can help him find the people responsible for Kevin's death. It was an extremely tempting offer and one he cannot pass up on. But when he went to join the organization, he wasn't expecting anything like girls turning into super soldiers.

Elsa de Sica is a completely different cyborg. She was once a normal young girl with strong ambitions. But then one day, there was an attack in Cantanian when the Republican Faction bombed the government building. Elsa and her family were those within the casualty count as the three family members perished in the blast. Elsa survived but she was in critical condition as she lost her left arm and right eye. When John took the job and saw the girl, he was hesitant in having an innocent kid get turned into a cybernetic soldier. But giving the opportunity, he accepted it and he had the scientists turn her into a cyborg programmed to hunt. Their relationship started off a little rocky, however, they were slowly beginning to form a great partnership between the two. For the past two years, they've been across the European country, putting a stop to the RF wherever they go. However, giving the success, Elsa was pretty much a loner. She never makes friends with the other girls at the agency and always works alone with the exception of her handler. She even has a room for herself as the room is meant for two. John always sees this and really wanted to help her make friends. Still, no matter what he did, he couldn't get her to get along with others.

Then there's John himself. Ever since leaving his family for seven years, he missed them since day one. He promised himself that when he finds his killer, then he'll be back to his family. Yet no matter what he promises himself, he still couldn't get his killer. And because of it, he will never see his family in a long time. Then one day, Jose spoke to him when they were planning an assassination of the chief of police in Florence. Understanding about John and his family, he asked him to stay with his family for a week, since the SWA gave him a break, and to bring Elsa along with him. John was a bit surprised by that, but it feels like a good enough time to visit them for a little bit. After all, he had nothing else to do and he did miss his family so much. So after the mission, John headed back to Jasper, Nevada, his hometown, to see his family with Elsa by his side.

Upon heading back home, he gave his wife and son quite a surprise, as they weren't expecting him coming at all. Not only that, but also having a young girl with him and calling her a fratello. John explained it as best as he could since the world thinks the SWA is a charity organization, providing them little white lies here and there. At first he thinks that being with his family for a little bit wouldn't cause so much trouble. But he was dead wrong on that count.

One day, John and Elsa were with Jack and his fancy looking motorcycle for a little father and son get together. That however was pretty much ruined as an unknown chopper came out of nowhere and attacked them for no apparent reason. They tried to shake the chopper off, but it pursued them to the point where it was impossible. They then headed down to a military weapons depot to hide as John was asking why the chopper was after them. However, the chopper found them and did something unexpected. It transformed into the Decepticon femme known as Airachnid. But not only that, Jack's motorcycle turned into another robot, the Autobot ninja femme known as Arcee. The two duke it out, as the John and Elsa were completely confused of what happened. But then, Airachnid got the drop on her and pinned her to the wall with her webbing, giving the spider bot time to find Jack and the others. This lead to Jack's father being taken and almost killed by her. However, Elsa stopped her and dropped her cover as she held her back with her rifle. Soon enough, Arcee freed herself and aided Elsa into disposing Airachnid, which in turn saved Jack and John. But when the battle was over, John was irate with what transpired and ask questions regarding Arcee. Same goes with Jack as he wanted to know how Elsa was shooting a gun and acting like a soldier. Giving the circumstances, Arcee took John and Elsa to the Autobot Outpost Omega One where all the questions will be answered.

Once they've arrived, Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader, explained to John and Elsa of the existence of Cybertron and the Cybertronians, the Autobot/Decepticon war that tore the planet apart, their arrival on Earth, and when Jack, June, Raf, and Miko came along and aided them on missions. At the same time, John explained about the truth of the Social Welfare Agency, how they take young girls and turned them into loyal cyborgs, the conditioning they had to go through, and where the girls use to have come from. Jack didn't take it kindly with his father, as he was upset that he's still on the search for the killer that took Kevin, the same search that made him leave home and abandon the family in the first place. John was the same as well as he didn't like the fact that his own family is involved in a centuries long war and fear that they could get killed. So they had a fight and walked away to blow off some steam. Thankfully June and Arcee went to Jack and Elsa went to John as they managed to let their heads cool off. And just like that, the two apologized of what they said and made up.

For the past couple of days the John and Elsa accepted the new type of normal as they got along with the Autobots. Elsa especially as she had to go through a couple of things such as Elsa fighting off Vince and his pals that were bullying Raf and Jack, beating Miko in video games, getting by her pranks after beating her, even assisting John by pranking her. So technically, it was a very interesting week for the two. However, things took a turn for the worse as the Decepticons could be involved.

One day, the Decepticons hacked into the Social Welfare Agency's mainframe to steal some serious Intel regarding the organization due to Airachnid discovering where the girl came from. That Intel includes the schematics of the cyborg girls and a list of the girls that are in the agency. It was a difficult time for the SWA as they have no clue who hacked their terminals and if they were working for the Republican Faction or it's the work of some other party. To make matters worse is that Elsa was kidnapped by Dreadwing while she was with Jack and Arcee for a little outing through the desert. From there, she was taken to the Nemesis where Megatron wants to experiment on her, opening her up to see how these cyborgs work.

The Autobots fully understand the situation, giving they know it was the Cons that took both the Intel and Elsa. So they had to get into the Nemesis to stop them from planning to create their own super soldiers to attack Earth. With the help of John, they managed to pinpoint the location of the Decepticon flagship with the tracker embedded in Elsa's body and bridged themselves into the vessel. John joined in too as he had to save his girl from getting dissected by the Cons. Soon enough, the group went on the search as they gone through multiple battles and many twists and turns when rescuing Elsa and retrieving the SWA Intel. Optimus also got involved as he battled Megatron, the Decepticon leader, from the flagship to the Energon mine. The battle was incredibly fierce as Megatron almost had the upper hand. But a free Elsa aided in stopping Megatron with anything in her disposal and in the end burying him into the rubber of the mine. Megatron though demanded Elsa to end him, but she didn't, as she can't kill someone that won't fight back. It was a big mistake as he decided to shoot the one person that's within the group while they are leaving. That person was John Darby. When Elsa turned to see Megatron about to fire on her handler, she did the most selfless of things. She shoved John out of the way to take a bullet for him, or a dark energon energy blast. Though that save almost cost Elsa her life as the dark energon was poisoning her from the inside and wouldn't last so long. So they had to perform an emergency energon transfusion, as Arcee became the donor, saving her life. But there were questions regarding the effects of her body with the energon as she was part cyborg. Still, John has to keep a close watch on her if any changes progressed.

In the end, the Autobots saved the day and John and Elsa were reunited while the Intel of the Social Welfare Agency was secured. As they were going to make their leave, John asked Optimus to watch over his family when he's away, a part of which the Prime promised. However it will soon change as one day can alter lives, for the worse…

* * *

The day of the Invasion…

It was a nice and pleasant day in the countryside of Italy, where the sun to shining down and not a cloud in the sky. Down the paved road, a 1976 black Harley Davidson Café Sportster XLCR road down the road as Blue Oysters Cult, _'Burning for You'_ was playing through the radio. On that bike, there was a man in his early forties with short black hair underneath his helmet and crystal clear blue eyes, wearing a leather jacket and a brace on his right knee. The one that was in back of him was a young girl of nine years with blond hair that's styled into two long back braids and dark green eyes, wearing a dark green long sleeve polo jacket with white lines on the zipper, collar, bottom hem and cuffs on the end of the sleeves, and a short button down light brown skirt that goes down to her mid thighs, a pair of brown leather boots with long white stockings, and an Amati violin case strapped to her back. Those two are known as Jonathan Darby and Elsa de Sica, one of the fratello teams from the Social Welfare Agency. They were finishing off on a mission in Pescara and are heading back to the agency after the assignment. Of course, they aren't fully aware of what is truly happening to the world around them. As they were riding, John peeked back to Elsa and told her and she was loosening the grip around his waist.

John Darby: "Hold on tight, Elsa. Don't want you to fall off the bike."

Elsa looked to him and realized that she was loosing her grip to her handler.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes, John."

So she held on tighter as she was enjoying the warm embrace of John. As they were riding, John peeked to her and decided to continue the conversation.

John Darby: "You did an excellent job back there in Pescara. The Padania is getting tough on the Agency. I'm surprised that you were able to hold them off while I got the key witnesses to safety."

Elsa just smiled warmly and told him that it was nothing.

Elsa de Sica: "You don't need to thank me, John. Henrietta and Rico did taught me a few things on long distance sniping and close quarters combat. The Padania are a tricky group if you ask me and if it weren't for their training, I would've been a goner.

John just laughed it off and was pleased that Elsa has finally opened up to the other girls. Once, Elsa was an old fashioned stick in the mud that distance herself with the other girls, working for herself. Now, after the trip in Jasper, she has changed into a whole new persona, making friends with the girls and mingled with them. She even teamed up with a few of the girls and she worked together with them. Course this was because the trip to see John's family changed the two completely. For it was there that they have met the Autobots and they had to save the Agency when the Decepticons took their Intel and Elsa for experimentation. But then, there was the last few moments when Elsa had to save John and took Megatron's dark energon cannon for him. The Autobots managed to save her life with an energon infusion, but there were some side effects with the energon as it affected Elsa's body. But that's for another time.

John Darby: "You would've… But I'm glad that you have friends helping you out. You even got a picture of us at the monument of Pescara after the mission."

Elsa smiled, as she was pleased with another memento from the mission.

Elsa de Sica: "And it is a lovely portrait of us at the monument. However, it is nothing compared to the one we took with your family, and the Autobots."

John heard that and laughed a little. He remembered that the time they were leaving, he decided to make the last moments memorable by taking the photo of him and Elsa with his family and the Autobots. It's the most precious thing that she will ever remember even after the conditioning is spent. However just the thought of his family with the Autobots worries him as they were in the middle of this intergalactic war that lasted for centuries while the human race doesn't know of their existence. He's just concerned that his wife and son would become the casualties of this war and scared of what would happen. But Optimus did assure him that his family will be well protected and would be safe under their care. Still, it is uneasy to see them getting hurt by the Decepticons, or worse.

Elsa de Sica: "John? John?"

The handler blinked as he turned to Elsa with a look of concern.

Elsa de Sica: "Is everything all right? You got awfully quiet for a moment there."

John sighed and explained his thoughts while driving down the road.

John Darby: "Sorry. It's just that I've been thinking about my family lately and what they are going through. You know, the whole alien war between two factions of metal transforming robots. After Kevin got killed, I only have my family for support and when I left, it felt like I turned my back to them. Then I soon come back and discovered that they are taking part in some eternity long war that will harm them. I fear of what would happen if these Decepticons and Megatron got to them."

Elsa heard that and understands what he was going through. Leaving his family is one thing, but coming back realizing his family is now part of a dangerous war from space is another. But she is the voice of reason and soothed her handler into the whole mess.

Elsa de Sica: "I know it was a lot to take in. But Optimus did promise that June and Jack will be taken care of. After all, they did keep them safe while you were away and they seem to be happy with them. I sure when we come back, they will still be fine. Just give the Autobots a chance."

John heard her advice and decided to keep it that way.

John Darby: "Whatever you say Elsa. Still feel nervous with the whole alien war."

The two kept on driving down the road as they noticed a huge complex with multiple buildings. That complex is the Social Welfare Agency, where it looks like a charity organization on the outside, but is an anti terrorist facility on the inside. This is where they take young girls on the verge of death and turn them into cybernetic super soldiers to fight the terrorists of Italy. As soon as they entered the complex, John headed straight to the girls dormitory and parked at the entranceway.

John Darby: "Well Elsa, this is where you get off. I have to get back to the office to type down the recent report of the mission. I wouldn't want you to get bored with me doing a simple desk job."

Elsa simply got off John's Harley and smiled to him.

Elsa de Sica: "It's all right John. I don't mind sitting by watching you working on a report. But I still have to speak to the other girls on the mission. They always enjoy my adventures with you."

John smiled about that and was happy to have her make friends with the other girls, when before she didn't want to speak with anyone. Just then, he had a great idea and told his girl about it.

John Darby: "Say Elsa, I got the next day off. Let's say you and I go to Rome so we can have a nice lunch and sightseeing. We might even head down to that gelato parlor you wanted to try. My treat."

Elsa looked to him and smiled a warm and pleasant smile.

Elsa de Sica: "I would like that."

Just as things were going to be perfect for the two, John's cell phone rang and ruined the moment. John looked down to his phone attached to his belt buckle and gave a deep sigh before looking back to his girl.

John Darby: "Hold on for a second, Elsa."

She nodded and waited while John took his cell out and placed it on his ear.

John Darby: "Hello?" … "Ah, Jose, good to hear you." … "Where am I? I just got into the Agency, dropping off Elsa. Why?" … "What? No, I haven't watched the news. Elsa and I left Pescara hours ago." … "Okay, I'll be there in a second."

He then hung up the phone as Elsa looked on in worry.

Elsa de Sica: "Something wrong, John?"

He turned to Elsa and explained as much as he could.

John Darby: "Jose called and said that I have to get back to the administration building to see something. He didn't explain what or why. Guess it could be another Padania attack. We've been getting plenty more of them as of late. Just stay put while I check on what Jose wants me to see."

Elsa gave a quick nod and said her farewell.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes, John. Don't take too long."

John gave a quick smirk and a salute before driving off to the Administration building. As soon as he was gone, Elsa walked to the entrance and opened the door to get to her room. But as she was entering, she saw two girls approaching her with a look of worry. One was a little younger than her with brown bob cut hair and light brown eyes. The other older then her with long blonde hair that's tied into two long pigtails and blue eyes. They were Henrietta and Triela, two of Elsa's closest friends. She saw them coming to her as Henrietta called out her name.

Henrietta: "Elsa!"

She looked to the two stopping in front of her and was a little confused on what's going on.

Elsa de Sica: "Henrietta? Triela? What's gong on? Why the scared looks on your faces?"

Triela then approached her and told her to come with them.

Triela: "You have to come with us. It's vital!"

Now Elsa was getting more confused then ever.

Elsa de Sica: "Vital? What are you talking about? What's happening?"

The two looked to each other and was surprised that she was in the dark with what's going on. Henrietta then turned to her and explained that situation.

Henrietta: "You don't know? It's Jasper. It's all over the new!"

Elsa blinked as that last sentence got her attention.

Elsa de Sica: "What?"

* * *

Returning to John, he was already in the administration building and was looking for Jose who called him to come immediately. He didn't explain why, but he said that it was very grave. Walking down the hall, he approached the door to the cafeteria, as he said that he's waiting for him. The moment he got through the door, he was surprised with all the other handlers gathered around and was intently watching something. Looking around, he spotted a man in his thirties with dark hair and blue eyes. That person is Jose Croce, a former officer with the Carabinieri and a member of the Social Welfare Agency. Seeing him, he approached him and was pleased to see him.

John Darby: "Jose, nice to see you again. What's up! Why is everyone here?"

Jose looked to him with worried eyes and could tell that he has no clue.

Jose: "Have you heard from your hometown yet?"

John raised an eyebrow and was a little confused.

John Darby: "You mean Jasper? No. I was riding through the road leaving Pescara. It was a long ride. Why did you ask?"

Jose then pointed to the TV everyone was watching and told him to see it.

Jose: "Take a good look at the television. There's something you might want to see."

John was still confused and didn't know what's going on. But turning to the TV that everyone was watching, he soon noticed something that looked like a war going on. At first he thought that it was another random attack by the Republican Faction or the Padania. However, when he walked close, he could see what looks like the American military battling… Decepticons? It can't be. They never reveal themselves like that. As he was getting through the group to get a closer look, he could hear the newscaster explaining the situation.

 _"What started out as a simple evacuation of a small town turned into an all out war straight from a movie. These metal robots started the attack where sources believe that they all came from the mysterious tower that appeared from that white light. No one knows of why this tower appeared or where the light came from, but there are those that believe that these metal beings came from outer space."_

As soon as he got close, he could see that BBC World News was showing this footage with a title below it that shocked him completely. _'The Invasion of Jasper'_. Seeing this, John blinked his eyes and didn't know what to think.

John Darby: "Oh no…"

* * *

Back in the girl's dormitory, the cyborgs were gathered in the rec room, watching the same thing their handlers are watching. It's the same news the men were watching as the look on in horror. Elsa especially as she knew that town that was attacked is Jasper and the invaders were Decepticons.

 _"The United States military held on as much as they could, but they were overwhelmed by the robots weapons. Right now, we have no indication on the number of casualties within that town. However, we do know that the number is quite numerous."_

Elsa looked on with the look of freight and couldn't believe what she was seeing. She's looking at Jasper, Nevada, John's hometown, the very place where they visited his family and the Autobots, get torn apart right before her eyes. It was something she would never expect. But there it is, clear as day. Triela watched next to her and explained about what's happening on the news.

Triela: "They've been airing this for hours on end. Saying that aliens have attacked Earth, placing some tower close to that town and invading it like it's their own. And to think the RF or Padania were tough. These aliens are far worse then them!"

Henrietta was on the other side of Elsa as she turned to her with worry.

Henrietta: "Elsa, what are these aliens. Do you know anything about them?"

Elsa looked to the Decepticons attacking the US military and knew that the secret war is out.

Elsa de Sica: "I'm afraid I do…"

* * *

Back to John, he looked to the news intently and never thought he would see something like this ever. Footage of the Decepticons attacking the military got him scared as he could see a live aerial footage of an energy dome placed over the town and the alien tower. At the same time, the newscaster explained the situation further.

 _"The military did send out back up to help EVAC the remaining population while providing all the firepower needed. But the aliens stopped them by placing an energy dome over the town of Jasper to not only prevent the back up from getting in, but the others to go out. Right now, the back up unit is surrounding the dome and on stand by until something happens. The U.S. government and the Pentagon has issued a Death Con One, the highest level of terrorism, while multiple curfews and military presence have been enforced throughout the states. As for the occupants within that dome, it difficult to tell because all communication within the town has been cut off from the rest of the world. Our prayers and thoughts to all those that are still surviving in that town."_

John looked to all the news and was completely confused then ever.

John Darby: "Wha… What is this? What's going on? I this some kind of a sick joke?!"

Just on cue, someone came in and answer John's own confusion.

Jean: "This is no joke, John."

John turned to his left to see another man in his thirties walking to him with blond hair, blue eyes, and a suit. That person was Jean, Jose's brother and member of the SWA as well. He walked up to John and told him what exactly happened.

Jean: "This happened hours ago while you were coming back from your mission in Pescara. Some unknown threat appeared into your own hometown and attacked it without mercy. We don't know much about them, but what we do know so far is that they have weapons beyond anything we can comprehend. The news of this attack has been spreading all across the board and the world leaders are getting nervous over the whole thing. So much so, that the Italian Government is pretty much on edge over these attack and is asking for the SWA's cooperation."

John listened to this and was trying to process all that has happened. But then, there was another thing that started to plague him. His family. Just as he thought about it, he turned to Jean and asked him about it."

John Darby: "What about my family? They live in Jasper! Did they call me or something? I need to know!"

Jean turned his head away and decided to give him the news.

Jean: "I'm sorry John, but your family haven't called the agency, let alone you since the attack. All communication from that town was cut off since these aliens placed that dome over it. Giving what we have witnessed, I believe that you will assume the worse and accept the loss."

John stood there in complete silence as he heard what Jean just said. Blinking, he shook his head and didn't think this was real.

John Darby: "No… No, that's not true. I won't believe it! My family is out there and I am worried about them!"

Jose could see him starting to get upset and tried to calm him down.

Jose: "John, please listen to reason. Even if you believe your family is alive, no one would've survived an attack as what we saw on the news. And with all communications down in that town, there's no telling if your family is still alive or not."

John turned to his friend and slowly walked to him and explains to him something.

John Darby: "A friend of my family's promised me that he will protect them until I come back. He told me that they will be safe while I'm away. There is no way that they would get killed."

Jose sighed and decided to let it all out.

Jose: "I know it's hard to believe, but you have to accept the fact. There is a strong possibility that your family has perished."

Hearing that, John felt that like a freight train. Deep down, he started to feel that truth ever since his unexpected visit with the Autobots and when Elsa was taken by the Cons. But he knows that deep down that his family is safe. He knows it. He just hope that what Jose and Jean said isn't true and that his family is isn't dead. Just as he was contemplating it, the TV went into complete static and the group looked to it to see what has happened. That's then the Decepticon logo showed up and shined on the screen. Everyone looked on and realized what it was.

Marco: "Hey, isn't that…"

Hillshire: "Looks like that logo we've seen when our mainframe was hack. But that's not possible. You don't think that…"

Just then, the screen showed a face of a metal robot with crimson red optics and sharp teeth, and a metal chest that have the same Decepticon logo. Everyone looked on and was confused by it. But John looked to it and knew who it was.

Megatron: _"People of Earth, I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. And I am here to deliver an important message. Your world leaders have been lying to you. Since the dawn of time you have believed that there was no extraterrestrial life beyond this planet. You were wrong… There is intelligent life in the farthest reaches of space, and they are right here on this planet."_

As they were watching, Jose looked to John and spoke to him about it.

Jose: "John, when you were trying to get the Intel back from us, did you know that the ones that took our Intel were these robot invaders?"

John looked a little nervous as he answered as much as he could.

John Darby: "Maybe…"

As he said that, Megatron continued to speak to the humans of Earth.

Megatron: _"For years we have hidden in this planet in secrecy. That is of course until what happened recently with the attack in the small town. Now some of you might be wondering why? Why would I attack a small human town? Well the answer is quite simple really. You see, our planet was consumed by war. A war that had ultimately cost us our home. So we decided to leave that planet and find one that was suitable to our liking and have the very fuel source we need. This planet is perfect for our kind. There is only one problem, though. Human kind seems to have this planet in their control. You filthy organics infest this planet with your selfish actions and continuous pollution, and believe that you are the dominant force within the galaxy. That is where you're mistaken…"_

* * *

Back in the girl's dormitory, the cyborgs watched the same thing as Megatron continued his threats.

Megatron: _"Let me warn you that what happened to a small town was only the beginning. Soon, my forces will spread throughout this planet and destroy everything in their path. Your cities won't be safe, your homes won't be safe, you're friends won't be safe, your family won't be safe, YOU won't be safe. We will drown this world in flames and within the ashes a new empire will rise up. And if you survive the attack, rest assured, you will be of use to our cause."_

The girls watched this as some of them were scared over this vicious leader. But Elsa, she was different. She was kidnapped by the Cons, almost experimented on her, and she was hit by the dark energon blaster that almost killed her. She tightened her fists and was seething in the teeth, knowing that this was bound to happen. With a quick pivot, she stormed out of the cafeteria and into her room, wanting to be alone. Henrietta saw her leave and tries to go after her.

Henrietta: "Elsa?"

But before she could leave, Triela stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder and told her to leave her alone.

Triela: "Let her be, Henrietta. She needs some time to herself."

Henrietta looked to her and thought maybe it would be a good idea to give her some time. Turning back to the TV, the group watched on as Megatron finishes his speech.

* * *

Back to the John…

Megatron: _"One way or another. The dawn of human kind is at an end. The rise of the Decepticons has begun!"_

Megatron laughed very viciously before the screen went to static. Once it returned to BBC News, the newscaster was confused as everyone else as he kept his cool and continued with what just happened. Once Megatron's speech has ended, Ferro came in and told everyone to come with her.

Ferro: "I want everyone to follow me ASAP. Lorenzo is setting up an emergency meeting at the board room to discuss about this uneventful attack in the US."

Everyone turned to her and decided to follow her advice. As they all left the cafeteria, John remained there, completely transfixed on the screen. Jose saw him standing there and asks him to come.

Jose: "Come on John, we have to hurry."

John though remained where he was and decided to stay put while answering him without turning.

John Darby: "You go on ahead. I'll catch up as soon as I could. I need to be alone with my thoughts…"

Jose could see him watching the television and decided to leave him alone for a while. He does need time to process what just happened. As soon as he left the cafeteria, John was all alone as he stumbled to a nearby chair and leaned on it. It's almost moments ago that everything was normal. Finishing up on a mission and returning to the agency. But when he got back, things changed for the worse. He saw on the news that his hometown of Jasper is attacked by the Decepticons and Megatron is threatening to the rule the planet. Never in his wildest dreams that it would happen, but it did. And what about his family? What happened to them? Have they perished? Did they survive? Shouldn't they call by now? Many questions were swirling in his head. He knew that Optimus promised that they will be safe, but now that this happened, there's no telling if his family is safe or not. Tightening the top of the chair, tears were coming down his face, as he was getting a little angry.

John Darby: "My home… My family… June… Jack… How could this have happened? Optimus promised that he will take care of them. He did. Then why did my town get attacked? Why did I see Decepticons attacking Jasper? This doesn't make sense! Why? Why? Why?! WHY?!"

That last question, he turned and tossed the chair up to the screen, shattering the glass on impact and destroying it completely. He took a breather, but was kneeling on the floor, upset of what transpired while a part of him hoped that his family made it out of there safely.

* * *

Meanwhile, Elsa was in her room, in the same predicament as John. She was at her desk as she put her arms on top of her sulking head. Though cyborgs only cry when they are put under for surgery, Elsa could not shed a tear for the news of Jasper being invaded. Looking up to the collection of pictures on the wall, she could see the one on the desk that showed her and John with his family and Jack's friends in the front, while the Autobots were in the back. It was taken when the two were going to head back to Italy. Of all the places she went to, Jasper was her all time favorite because of the Autobots saving her on a couple of occasions. Now looking at the picture, it has become a grim reminder over what just transpired moments ago. Getting a deep sigh, her only thought is the safety of Jack and his friends.

Elsa de Sica: "Please Jack… Please be safe…"

* * *

 **That's the first chapter of Episode Four of my version of Transformers Prime Season 3. Do you like it? What did you think? I know it's just the first chapter, but it's a good start in another great episode. Not to mention a bit of a recap of the John and Elsa story for those of you that didn't read it. Now in the next chapter, it will take place over a month ago as we get to see the Autobots, Decepticons, and John and Elsa. But not all together, oh no. They will be in separate parts of the chapter, one of which takes place in an episode of Gunslinger Girl. You just need to wait and see. Please Review.**


	2. The New World

**Okay, so before I start with the story, I want to share with you regarding the future of cartoons. So Transformers: Robots in Disguise now has a second season out on Cartoon Network. Now I have that set on my DVR and I'll watch it when I have the time. I still didn't get the chance in watching the season finally of RiD and I have a lot of stuff to handle from here and there. There is of course the one serious issue I have that I need to get off my chest. See, Transformers: RiD was meant to have a total of three seasons just like it's predecessor, Prime. But as I stated before in my little rant on YouTube, that Cartoon Network has the tendency in airing anything that's mostly action based early in the morning when an older audience and most children are still asleep and filling most of their timeslots with their dumb programming through marathons. So Transformers being shown at 6:30 on a Saturday morning would lead to some serious re-precautions. The end result is that the promised three seasons got down to two with a mini movie to conclude it and the episode count got cut from 26 to 16. The same type of treatment that plagued Prime with their Beast Hunter season.**

 **Now I know Truth has the slogan that _'We will be the next generation to end smoking.'_ and YouTube users are asking to YouTube _'Where's the fair use?'_. But I wanted to ask Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Discover Family (Once the Hub Network), Where's the Good Cartoons. We've seen great cartoons that shows a lot of promise such as Symbiotic Titan, Megas XLR, Beware the Batman, Tron: Uprising, and many more. But due to terrible schedule making, poor ratings, and legal disputes, these shows get canned after the first season while dumb shows such as Uncle Grandpa, Breadwinners, Regular Show, Pig, Goat, Banana, and Cricket, even the abomination of Teen Titans Go!, get more air time like there's no tomorrow. At least Disney tends to have more variety with their combination of good and bad shows. But these channels I've mentioned tends to focus solely on the dumb shows that show no morals, lowbrow comedy, and toilet humor just for the purpose to brainwash the children of this generation while hiding good shows that have more potential than any other. And I fear that this trend will continue until someone would take a stand on it. We should be the ones that would have our voices heard, demanding channels to improve on their schedules, to give shows such as Transformers, Legend or Korra, or any future show that's going to come out, a chance at the spotlight and have more then just a single day on a morning or a late night. The time has come to tell these cartoon executives that, in the words of Own Hart, enough is enough and it's time for a change! If all of you think that Cartoon Network and other cartoon channels should do better with their programming, share this hash tag throughout Twitter and YouTube and ask them…**

 **#WherearetheGoodCartoons?**

 **Now that that service announcement is out of the way, on to the story!**

 **On the last chapter, I never thought this story would have a big of an impact. I got eighteen full reviews, including a few annoying guest reviews, and over eight hundred hits?! Holy shit! I didn't expect that type of response. Though the previous three episodes I did, they have more hits on the first chapter as well. Though I'm certain that in the near future, the first chapter would have more hits then before. But hey, we'll see about that.**

 **On the second chapter, it's over a month since the attack as Megatron was curious as to how the children got turned into Cybertronians and Jack a new Prime. Meanwhile, the Optimus is recovering well while Jack and June were silent of the day they never thought would come. And back at Italy, John was in a distraught state as he was on a mission with Jean and Bernardo, on a future attack on Rome. With John being divided on what happened to his family, how will he handle the mission? Let's take a look and see.**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **One part of the chapter takes place in season two of Gunslinger Girl. The episode is going to be episode nine, _'Clever Snake, Simple Pigeon'_ where the terrorist was running from Rico on the roof. I wanted to add my own thing with it because one: the attack would happen in a protest rally regarding the Autobot/Decepticon war and not near the restaurant Jose and a friend of his was in, and two: John and Elsa will be added to that scene for reasons I cannot explain yet. You just need to see it yourself.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girl.**

* * *

Chapter Two: The New World

Over a month later…

Everything is quiet in the desert landscape of Nevada as the sun was shining and the heat was unbearable. In one part Nevada, a huge energy like dome was in the area as military convoys, tanks, and choppers surround it with military personnel is on constant watch. Within the dome, what was once Jasper was now a wasteland with a huge alien structure towering over it, with metal prods pointing upwards, four huge proton cannons pointing in four different directions and an energy beam on the top that's distributing the energy force field. That tower is Darkmount, the Decepticon citadel that was placed by the Omega Lock the Cons used to attack Earth. However, it looked like the tower was recovering from a huge attack by the Autobots and Predaking. In the courtyard, drones were scattered about cleaning the mess the Bots and Predacon caused as Combaticons and Insecticons were carrying the heavy debris and metal crates while the Vehicons and Airadicons were repairing the tracks for the hover trains that pass through. In the middle of the courtyard, a new statue of Megatron was being gently placed on the podium by a bunch of Decepticon like cranes around the court, since the last statue was destroyed by Rodimus. At the top of the citadel, Megatron sat on his throne with his second in command, Starscream, on his left side and the Intelligence Officer, Soundwave, was at his right. In the middle of the thrown room, Shockwave stood in front of his leader, as Megs wasn't impressed.

Megatron: "Shockwave, you promised me that your creation was meant to destroy the Autobots and their Prime. Yet after what happened at the courtyard, it would seem as though that your Predacon has failed tremendously. I am not very pleased with what occurred."

Shockwave bowed his head down and looked up with his huge optic, explaining what happened.

Shockwave: "My apology, Lord Megatron, but I was for certain that Predaking would accomplish what it was programmed to do. However, I didn't calculate the outcome when this new Prime arrived and took out my creation. If I had known about this, I would've come up with other strategies in disposing this new Prime."

Starscream though wasn't impressed by his excuse.

Starscream: "Save your excuses, Shockwave! Your Predacon was defeated by this new Prime that arrived and used the Star Saber sword to strike the core of the beast. Not that it matter giving what the Predacon did to our courtyard. Destroying the hover tracks on the rim of the courtyard that caused one of our transits to crash and littered the court and cause extensive damage. It's going to take months to repair all of the damage caused by it."

As he was explaining about what occurred in the court, the warlord stopped him and told him that he would handle the questioning.

Megatron: "Starscream, I understand that you are just upset about what occurred then I. However, I am the one that will make the punishments, not you."

The commander turned to him and apologized.

Starscream: "My deepest apologize, master. I was only sharing my anger with you on this mess."

Megatron relaxed and was pleased with what he said, knowing where he knows his place. He soon turned back to Shockwave to continue the rage he had with what transpired.

Megatron: "The actions that has happened at the courtyard and the escape of the Autobots with their leader, it has pushed back my plans in conquering this world! What have you got to say for yourself?"

The scientist remained silent as he starts to explain of his actions.

Shockwave: "I understand that my miscalculation lead to Predaking's defeat. But there is always room for improvements."

Megs looked to him and was a bit interested.

Megatron: "Really? How so?"

Now that that got his attention, Shockwave started to explain what he has in mind.

Shockwave: "When I was looking into the battle, I knew that Predaking had some flaws. When the final blow was made to my creation, I'd theorize that the main core was exposed and the glass barrier wasn't strong enough when the Star Saber penetrated."

Megatron: "And…"

Shockwave: "I've deduced that if I can rebuild and modify my creation, it will not be defeated easily like the last time. I have already gathered the remains of Predaking and I am ready to recreate it from scratch. I only ask one thing in return."

Megatron: "And what's that?"

Shockwave: "I would like to have my own lab in private. After my years in isolation on Cybertron, I believe that most logical of conclusions is to work alone with my projects."

There was a bit of silence as Megatron pondered about it. It seems that the scientist can bring Predaking back from the dead. Still, his proposal is a risk, as he wanted to work alone. And giving the damage caused by the Autobots and Predaking, he would need all the help necessary and repairing the citadel. Still, this will give the Decepticons a second chance in stopping the Autobots. Thinking this as an opportunity, he looked down to the scientist and approved of his words.

Megatron: "Very well, Shockwave. I will let you rebuild Predaking. I'm just hoping that your creation would be completed as soon as possible."

Shockwave heard that and was pleased by his approval.

Shockwave: "Thank you, Lord Megatron. I will get to work once I have a place of my own. However, giving the extant of damage I've examined, I deduced that it would take a few Earth months in complete repair. I will, however, speed up the process as soon as possible, but will make sure that everything thing is perfected and that the errors are corrected."

There was a bit of silence and dismissed him.

Megatron: "Take all the time that you need. I need Predaking back on its feet and battle ready for the Autobots. You are dismissed."

The science officer gave a gracious bow and turned around, walking back to the elevator in the middle of the room. But as he descended down to the main level, Megatron's face turned to sheer anger as he roared out loud and stood up to pointed his cannon to a random Vehicon. That Vehicon was the one from the left as he turned and needed to avoid the attack. But it was too late as the leader fired the cannon at the Con and struck the spark chamber, shutting him down in a quick second. Starscream looked to the down Con while the others backed away for a brief second, looking ready to leave quickly. The commander sighed and knew that Megs temper hasn't changed.

Starscream: "Sigh... That's the sixth one this week. Lord Megatron, I understand that you are upset over what transpired not too long ago. But as your second in command, my advice for you is to not take your frustrations on your own legion."

Megatron listened to the commander's plea and decided to listen to him for once. Powering down his cannon, he gave a deep groan before sitting down on his throne and was a bit irate.

Megatron: "I was so close, Starscream. So close in terminating Optimus, ending this eternal war, and ruling this planet as all planets before it. And then that boy came and destroy everything! I should've have him and the others killed in our planet's toxic atmosphere when I had the chance!"

Scream gave a slight groan and understood what he meant.

Starscream: "Yes... One of the Autobots human pets that turned into one of us unexpectedly. It is surprising that those fleshings have become Cybertronians, it's another that one of them became a Prime. How uneventful that was. Still, all is not loss. We survived the new Prime's wrath and Shockwave can resurrect Predaking, so we can overcome that surprising event. Still, despite one of them is a Prime, we are left with questions. Questions such as how were they created and who was responsible for them. Certainly it's not the Autobots as they don't have that type of technology to do so. Whoever did that could be still out there with more of those abominations."

Megatron heard of that and got time into thinking. His commander was right on one thing. The fact that those human pets the Autobots have get turned into their kind baffles them. And with the Autobots not the responsible party, someone has to be. Question is, who? After giving it some thought, he remembered Starscream saying that Soundwave picked up four unknown energon signatures in one part of the country, and then multiple in another part. Obviously the first three are that of the Autobot's human companions, but what were the others. Is it possible that the responsible party has an armada of their own? This would trouble his plans in taking over this world. Something needs to be done, but what? Looking to his SiC, he came up with a really good plan and asked him for a favor.

Megatron: "Starscream, I have a very special mission for you."

The commander turned to the warlord and was eager about what he has plans for him. He then gracefully bowed his head down and was awaiting some orders.

Starscream: "Anything for you, master."

With him at attention, Megatron told him what to do.

Megatron: "I do recall you told me of these unknown energon signatures that appeared within this country. The very same signatures that you've ignored in the first place. To that, I want you to head to the locations of these signatures and investigate them thoroughly."

The commander was in a bit of shock giving that he wanted him to investigate the unknown energon signatures, after the initial discovery weeks ago. Still, appointing him to it was even more baffling.

Starscream: "Master, as much as I'm honored to perform such a task, why appoints me to this endeavor. Why not Shockwave, giving that he's the top science officer for this mission."

Megatron laid back and explained his reasons.

Megatron: "Because Shockwave is predisposed as of right now, giving that he needs to recreate the Predacon that was destroyed by the new Prime. And as I said before, you did ignore those signatures like it was nothing to worry about. At least until the new Cybertronians that were the Autobots human pets, arrived and nearly wasted my armada. Or have you forgotten about that?"

Scream nervously laughed and remembered what happened at Darkmount when those kids arrived and caused all kinds of chaos.

Starscream: "Oh... Of course, master, I never overlook something such as this. Now, what do you want me to do?"

Megatron soon took a deep breath and explained to him on what to do.

Megatron: "Begin by searching the first location where the first four energon signatures were sighted. No doubt that three of them were the humans that the Autobots were protecting, so they could be connected. Then you will head to the second location where more energon signatures were located. If there's a chance that one of those signatures was in that location, bring it to be dissected to see what they are and where they come from. I'll have Knock Out and Soundwave join you in this endeavor, and I'll have you take command to the Nemesis to journey through those destinations. Though I warn you to tread lightly. We still don't know if there are more of these newly created Cybertronians and if they are working for the Autobots, or they are a third party we do not know about. Is that clear?"

Starscream gave a quick nod and understood his orders.

Starscream: "Of course, Lord Megatron. I will begin with the search and find answers to questions regarding why the human companions of the Autobots turned into us."

He then started to turn around and walk to the main elevator that elevated back up. Soundwave soon joined him as he followed him to the elevator platform. As he was leaving, Megatron stopped him and asked one more thing.

Megatron: "Oh, and Starscream?"

He soon stopped and turned to see what he wants this time as the Intelligent Officer walked past him.

Starscream: "Yes, Master? What is it?"

That's when Megatron tosses a curveball to his commander.

Megatron: "You will not return until you come back with proof of your investigation. That is all."

The commander was a bit silent as he started to process what his leader said. After a few short seconds, Scream did a quick bow and responded with the utmost respect.

Starscream: "Yes, master. You wisdom does bring motivation."

He joined Soundwave and stepped on the platform to begin the decent. But as the lift lowered, he already had some disdain on his face and he knew that Megatron didn't take his failure in investigating the unknown energon signatures earlier lightly.

* * *

Around the same time, at the Autobot base underneath Lake Eerie, The Autobots were in the training room to begin their practice. After the incident with Headmaster in both Sumdac Systems and POSGO, they really need to be on their toes. With both the Cons and MECH, they must be prepared for another battle. Team Prime stood to the side as they watched someone performing a bit of targeting practice. That someone is none other then Optimus Prime as he stood up and took aim at the first oil barrel. Charging his shot, he soon fired right at the first barrel. It soon hit the barrel as it fell off the podium. He then moved to the second barrel and shot that one down. Then the next one. And the next one. And the next one. Soon enough, all five barrels were on the floor as Optimus lifted his blaster up and was pleased with it. The team stood by in awe as they clapped to see how much progress he's getting throughout his recovery.

Smokescreen: "Wow... Five perfect shots! You still got it, sir!"

Bumblebee: _**(Yeah. Who would've thought that even after that you've been through and can still perform very well? I guess all Primes are resilient to pain.)**_

The Autobot leader soon turned to him and gave a bit of a smile.

Optimus Prime: "Thank you, Smokescreen, Bumblebee. I am pleased that all of you think I am improving on my skills during my recovery."

He soon shifted his blaster back to servo and flexed it to get the feeling back. He started to walk back to Ratchet and Altra, formerly known as June. Course his walk is more of a limp as he was dragging his right foot a bit while the left was moving normally. It's sort of like when Bulkhead was recovering for the Tox-En incident, only a bit rougher. Wheeljack look to this and grunted to himself.

Wheeljack: "Improving your skills, huh? He should think about improving his walking. He has a bit of a limp in his step."

Bulkhead gave him a light pound to his chest plate, as the Wrecker felt that.

Wheeljack: "Hey! What gives, Bulkhead?"

Bulkhead: "Don't count Optimus out Jackie, he's one tough bot. Tougher then the Wreckers. He managed to survive the attack in our old base and imprisonment by the Decepticons, he never gives up, not by a long shot."

Kaosu, who was formally known as Miko Nakadai, was next to the two as she complimented about her friend's advice.

Miko/Kaosu: "Bulk's right, Wheeljack. Optimus might be recovering from his experience in Darkmount, but he can still kick some serious aft!"

As the group was talking, Optimus limped a bit to Ratchet and Altra. Once he got to them, Ratchet checked his leg to see if it looks better. Doing a quick scan, he could tell that it was getting better then before.

Ratchet: "Well, Optimus, it would seem that the functionality of your legs are improving, a bit slow, but getting a little better. However, I do suggest that you don't strain that leg too much. I can't have you medically clear for active duty until you take it easy with that leg."

Optimus looked to his medic and smiled over his request.

Optimus Prime: "But of course, old friend. Thank you for pushing through my recovery for this long."

Ratchet chucked and told him that it was nothing.

Ratchet: "No need to thank me. I'm just making sure that you are in top shape before you can go out in the field. Wish I could say the same with me. With my new arm still it's protoform stage, I don't think I will be joining you anytime soon."

He looked to the prosthetic arm he was still using and was a little upset over it. Optimus saw this and placed his hand on his shoulder, to relax him.

Optimus Prime: "There now. I understand that you have been going through a recovery far worse then my own. But you are still a reliable asset for the team when you're not in the battlefield. Your medical expertise have proven from time to time whether it be saving Rafael from the dark energon poising in his body, Bumblebee's T-cog operation, or Bulkhead's recovery from the Tox-En expose and the attack from Hardshell. So even if you cannot fight, you can still assist us within the base, in many ways then one."

Ratch gave a bit of a chuckle as he was pleased by Optimus's wise words.

Ratchet: "Well, I do help out within the base most of the time and, as an old vet myself, I've seen enough war for one eon. I just hope this planet doesn't becomes a casualty like many others before it."

As that conversation went on, the rest of the team started to train in the event of another Decepticon or MECH attack. However, as they were training, one Autobot was missing from the group. Arcee looked around and notices that he wasn't around. She soon turned to Smokescreen and asked him about that.

Arcee: "Hey, Smokescreen, have you seen Jack? He was suppose to be training with us today."

The Elite Guard member turned to her and answered her question.

Smokescreen: "Jack? Well I went to his room and told him to come to the training room, but he said he wasn't in the mood right now. I guess the role of a new Prime is starting to get to him."

Firewall, who was once known as Raf, heard that as well and remembered something.

Raf/Firewall: "I don't think the job as a Prime isn't the case."

The two soon turned to the hacker and was curious.

Arcee: "It's not?"

Raf soon nodded and explained it more.

Raf/Firewall: "He's been awfully quiet as of late. Keeping to himself and not leaving his room for periods of time. I'm no therapist, but something is bugging him, badly."

The femme heard that and was curious as well. Getting into deep thought, she decided to put the matter into her own hands.

Arcee: "Let me go and speak to him. I'm sure that what happened with Headmaster seemed to have got him in the mood."

She soon walked to doorway and exits the training room. As she was leaving, Altra was tending to Optimus and saw her leave. She overheard the conversation the three had and gave out a deep sigh. That is because she knew something was up with Jack and it was something that plagued him since years ago. The Autobots didn't know as they thought that it was the whole Prime thing. Making that decision, she decided to go after her and left the training room as well.

* * *

In Jack's room, the future Prime was sitting on his berth as he was in deep thought. After what has been going on for the past week, there have been a lot of things that have been going on in his processor. However, there is one day in particular that has been bugging him as of late. The very day that has always been a tradition to him and his mother. His optics had a faint gleam, as he was lost in his processor. If there is one thing that being a Cybertronian, it's that they have the tendency to replay some memories in their processors like that of a home video. He was watching something in the dark as he heard voices in his audio receptors.

 _"Shh... Be quiet. I can hear them coming."_

 _"Man it's so dark, can't see the thing. Can we at least turn on a light around here or something?"_

 _"And ruin the whole surprise? Isn't that what it was suppose to be about?"_

 _"Hey, keep it down. The door is about to open."_

In is optics, he saw the door opening as two figures entering in the house. He could hear the voice of his father on the audio and the voice of his uncle, Kevin.

Kevin: _"Hey! Why the lights are off? Don't tell me your wife forgot to pay the electric bill."_

John Darby: _"Huh... I don't think so. Pretty sure June is working the late shift at the hospital and must've turn the lights off to conserve energy. Here, let me turn it on."_

John approached the light switch close by and flips it up. By the time the lights were on, they weren't expecting what's to come next.

 _"SURPRISE!"_

Both John and Kevin were shocked to see a lot of people surrounding them. Friends, Kevin's family, military soldiers they know, even General Bryce, John's wife, June, and his son, Jack, who the real Jack was watching in his own POV. Everyone was celebrating the twin's birthday on that day, as the two brothers didn't see it coming.

John Darby: _"Whoa! What's this? June, I thought that you were working the late shift."_

June looked to her husband with a pleasing look.

June: _"Oh John, you think that I want to work late at the hospital while missing out on your birthday. You know I never let that down. Besides, it's your day, you should celebrate it with family and friends."_

She then lightly kissed him in the lips as John blushed. She was right on one occasion, it's his and Kevin's birthday, they need to spend their time with those closely related. He soon turned to his son and had a smile on his face.

John Darby: _"Hey there Jack! How's my favorite son?"_

Now by the time of this Rodimus watching that memory in his processor, he was watching a birthday of his father and uncle many years ago. So he's watching his own POV as he was six or seven at that time. The young jack approached his dad and lifted his arms up to pick him up.

Young Jack: _"Hey daddy! Uncle Kev! Happy Birthday!"_

John then lifted him up as carried on his arms, smiling at him.

John Darby: _"Thanks, Jack. You really are a great son."_

Kevin then approaches his nephew and rubbed his head, messing with his hair.

Kevin: _"And you are also a great nephew, Jackie Boy."_

The young Jack laughed it up as he was trying to fix his hair up. The two brothers laughed it off as they joined their comrades and family for a good Birthday. Rodimus looked to that moment and had a slight smirk on his face, remembering that day very clearly. He used his processor to fast forward to later on in the birthday as he saw his young self in his POV in the backyard with many of his father's and uncle's friends and family, having a good time. The young jack was carrying two presents with him as he slowly headed to his father and uncle, who are sitting at the table, waiting for June to bring the cake. As soon as he approached the two, he showed them the two presents that he got.

Young Jack: _"Daddy! Uncle Kev! Here!"_

The two turned to Jack and curious of what he wanted. When they saw the gifts he was offering, the father looked to him and asked about it.

John Darby: _"What's this, Jack?"_

The young Darby smiled widely and answered his question.

Young Jack: _"It's your present, daddy! Open it!"_

John looked to his gift and was delighted about it, but wanted to wait.

John Darby: _"Wow Jack, thanks. You really shouldn't have. But we're going to have cake shortly. So we should wait until we have cake."_

The younger Jack had the look of sadness and turned his head away in despair. Kevin saw the sad look to his nephew's face and decided to cheer him up.

Kevin: _"Oh come on Johnny. This is our boy we're talking about. He just wants to give us something special. I say we open it and see what he has for us."_

John looked to his brother with a bit of confusion and then turned to see his son looked defeated. Giving out a deep sigh, he decided to listen to Kevin.

John Darby: _"Fine… Anything to keep Jack happy."_

Jack heard that and cheered up for a bit and gave them their presents. The two took them from his hands and looked to the gifts for a few seconds. They soon open them up to see what's inside. When they opened it up, they were amazed at what they saw. Holding in their hands were two picture frames that showed them with Jack by their side, one with John by Jack, the other with Kevin by him. The picture frames themselves were crafted by hand as it was filled with macaroni and sparkles and other random things, preferably for an arts and crafts project young Jack was in. Both of them had titles at the button that reads out loud, _'My Favorite Dad!'_ and _'My Favorite Uncle'_. The two brothers looked at them strangely as Jack spoke about it.

Young Jack: _"They are picture frames I've made for school. And mom has given me the pictures for us to put inside the frames. That way when you leave for your tour of duty, you always have it with you. Look daddy! That's us!"_

John looked to the picture frame and was a little quiet about it.

John Darby: _"Yeah… I see that, son… Thanks for the present. It looks really… interesting."_

Kevin turned to his brother and wrapped his arm around his neck.

Kevin: _"C'mon bro. Don't be such a downer. Our boy worked so hard in making these gifts for us. A little overboard, but it's the thought that counts."_

He soon turned to Jack and thanked him as well.

Kevin: _"Thanks for the gift Jackie Boy! I will cherish this forever!"_

Jack looked to him with a wide smile and was delighted to hear that.

Young Jack: _"Thanks Uncle Kev! You're the best!"_

The uncle responded by rubbing Jack's head again, messing with his hair once more. Jack fixed his hair yet again as June came in with a birthday cake for both the brothers. Rodimus watched in his optics as the guests on the video singing Happy Birthday to the two. He smiled at that day as it was the most memorable time in his life. Just then, he heard the knock on his door as he snapped out of memory lane.

Arcee: "Jack? Are you in there? It's me, Arcee. Can you open the door for a second? I need to speak to you."

When he heard Arcee in the other end of the door, he sighed and turned his vid feed off his optics, getting off his berth to approach the door. Automatically opening up by a button, he could see his girlfriend with a look of worry and wanted to converse with her quickly.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hey there, Arcee. What's going on?"

The femme looked to him strangely and crossed his arms, wanting answers.

Arcee: "What's going on is we're starting training and you are not present. All Primes need to train too, especially those that are starting. Anything wrong?"

Jack blinked and soon realized that he nearly forgot about training. Clearing his throat, he explained why he forgot.

Jack: "Oh, right. Training. Sorry Cee, I was a little… distracted as of late."

The two-wheeler raised an optic ridge and was curious about that.

Arcee: "Distracted? What do you mean by that? Is there something in your processor you wish to speak about?"

Now Jack was sweating as he can't say it to her, even if she's his lover. So he decided to lay to her a little bit to get her off his back.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It's nothing, Arcee. Really. Just something I need to handle myself is all."

The femme knew that something was off and asked about it. So she tries to coax him out of it.

Arcee: "Jack, I know you. You always like to keep things to yourself. What's really going on? Does it have something to do with what happened during the whole Headmaster incident? If that's the case, I've already told you that what happened there was in the past. We're together again. That's all that matters."

Jack lifted his hand up and told her that wasn't the case.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "No Cee, that wasn't it. What happened with Headmaster, I'm over it."

Now the femme was getting impatient and asked again.

Arcee: "Then what? What is it that got you in a bit of a twist?"

Jack looked to her and asked her something.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Well… How should I put it? Do you ever get the feeling that you were haunted by a past you can't escape?"

Arcee looked to him strangely and gave that 'seriously' expression.

Arcee: "Jack, I've have pasts that I can't escape. Remember? Tailgate and Cliffjumper?"

Rodimus rubbed the back of his helm and realized that.

Jack/Rodimus: "Right… That… Well, I've been going through that type of thing, only a bit more personnel then yours."

Arcee could see the look on his face and could tell that he's bothered by it.

Arcee: "If that's the case, let me help you. Giving what I had to go through, at least I can assist you in any way possible."

Jack was silent about the whole thing and thought he doesn't want his partner to get involved.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Thanks for the help, but if it's all right with you, I'll handle this on my own. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be at the training room with you guys. Kay?"

Arcee gave herself a sigh and decided to let this slide.

Arcee: "Okay… I'll let you handle it yourself. Just don't take too long."

Jack gave a quick smile before lightly kissing her in the lips and headed back to the room, closing the door behind him. Arcee starred at the door for a few short seconds before walking away, still wondering what's bothering him lately. As she was leaving, she heard a familiar voice.

June/Altra: "That's my Jack. He always tends to keeping secrets to himself at this time of the year."

Looking up, she could see jack's mom standing there, leaning on the wall with a slight smirk on her face.

Arcee: "June? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the training room looking after Optimus and his recovery?"

June stood up and told her that everything is all right.

June/Altra: "Optimus is recovering really well. I don't think he needs my assistance unless it's necessary. Besides, I want to see if Jack is bottling up his feelings this week. Looks like he's still at it just like every year."

That got Arcee in a state of shock, as she didn't know of this.

Arcee: "A whole year?! June, what is really going on? Why is Jack acting like he has scaplet in his fuel tank? And don't go around it like your son."

June heard her and took a deep breath. Giving she's the most responsible one, she came to the decision and let it out.

June/Altra: "Well, you do remember what Jack told you about his father and uncle?"

Arcee blinked and remembered that her partner spoke of what happened to his father, John, and uncle, Kevin in Baghdad. When his uncle was killed in a terrorist bombing and his father left them to find the killer. Ironically enough, it was around the same day that his father made his unexpected return, and days before he ever found out about the Autobots.

Arcee: "Yes, I remember that. Why do you ask?"

June was silent, hoping that it doesn't have to go down this way. However, with Arcee wanting answers, she has to say it.

June/Altra: "Well, in a few days, it was suppose to be John's and Kevin's birthdays. Since they are twins, they celebrate on the same day and we spend so many of times holding parties with friends, family, and military personnel. Oh, you can imagine the many celebrations we had in the household. So much happiness between the two and the enjoyment of my son when he was younger. But then, everything changed when Kevin got killed in that terrorist bombing and then John abandoning us to find that party responsible. I am sure you and I knew what he was really doing during that absence."

Arcee listened in and remembered that John joined the SWA and partnered with Elsa. But she was surprised that it was suppose to be Jack's father's and uncle's birthday. It's no wonder why he was down lately. Turning her head away, she felt sorry and apologized to her.

Arcee: "Altra, I'm sorry… I didn't know…"

The mother waved her servo and told her that it was all right.

June/Altra: "It's okay. I just wanted to tell you this since my son kept it to himself. After that tragic event, Jack and I spend the later years visiting Kevin's grave and placing flowers on his burial, remembering the good times and other such things. Now, however, I don't think we would be going to his grave this year since Jasper is under Decepticon control and…"

She soon looked down at her body and finished with her last sentence.

June/Altra: "this happened."

The femme looked to Altra's body and could tell what she meant.

Arcee: "Ah yes… The fact that MECH kidnapped you and your son and turned the two of you into us, along with Raf and Miko. That's a whole lot to take in. You haven't gotten around in telling your husband what happened to the two of you. Have you?"

June lowered her head down and was in a bit of a conflict on that one.

June/Altra: "No… I haven't spoke to him about this. Hell, I haven't gotten the courage to get on the comms and speak to him of this. I mean, how am I suppose explain this to him? Something like, _'Hello John. It's me, June, your wife. Sorry I haven't spoken to you since Jasper was attacked, but things get complicated. Mainly the fact that some crazy scientist of an underground terrorist organization took us and turned us into lab rats!'_ Like that would be believable."

Arcee heard this and could tell that she was right. Not tell her husband is one thing. Explaining to him that she and his son get turned into Cybertronians is a whole different story. Lowering her head, she can imagine how she felt.

Arcee: "I can imagine how you're feeling right now, June. Over a month has passed since you and Jack changed and the torment you two have been through from the start really got you in a twist. Still, the fact that John doesn't know what happened to you two is the worse. But, not telling your husband of what happened to the two of you, especially this permanent condition, could be spark wrenching. I can't even comprehend how your husband is going through."

Altra though still has doubts of what would come to this.

June/Altra: "Arcee, you do not understand. John is very protective with me and my son. And after what happened to Jasper, there are two ways he will deduce that. Either he thinks we've perished and will head to the U.S. military for answers, or he will think we've survived and come searching for us. And if he chooses the second option… Well… I could only imagine what would happen if he finds out the truth."

Arcee nodded and understood what she meant by that. Giving that John use the work for the military, and working for the Social Welfare Agency, it will be a matter of time before he finds his answers. However, that day will come, as they need to get back to training.

Arcee: "We'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, let's get back to the training room to practice. I'll tell everyone that Jack will come shortly."

So the two left Jack alone for a moment to give him some space. Arcee though looked back and felt sorry for her sparkmate. Knowing now that it was suppose to be Jack's father's and uncle's birthday, she knew that he would need some space. Or maybe some fresh air… That might give her a really good idea. Perhaps she should speak to Optimus about that.

* * *

Back in Jack's room, he laid on his berth and decided to clear his head after what happened. Giving what Arcee said, he can't stay in his room for so long that it will get the rest of the team worried. Specially Optimus, since he suppose to be the teacher to prepare the young Prime to take his place. Sighing, he decided to wait for five minutes until he's fully ready. Looking up to the nightstand, he could see a picture frame that he'd recovered from his old house when he and the other recruits were on a mission to rescue Optimus back when he was imprisoned. Taking it off the stand, he looked to the picture to see the Autobots, Raf, Miko, June, and himself back when they were once human. But then he looked at the two individuals that were in the photo as well. Looking to the photo, he smiled and spoke to the two like they were actually real.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hey dad… Hey Elsa… How are things? I know a lot has changed since the two of you had left, but I just want to let you know, that I'm all right. My mom and I are being taken care of by the Autobots and we were safe during the Jasper Invasion. Of course, we were soon taken and turned into Cybertronians by force, so that would complicate things. Yet no matter the outcome, we've managed to bounce back. I also have something else to share with you. Turns out, I was destined to be the next Prime after Optimus! Yeah, can you believe that? It would seem I am of far greater use then I've expected. I've also got a date in Arcee. That's right! She and I are boyfriend and girlfriend! Guess you were right about us, dad. I found someone that's a couple of stories tall, blue and pink attire, and blue and lavender eyes."

He laughed that up and remembered that moment too well. A bit embarrassing, but he had a laugh over it. He then started to get serious and decided to have a bit of a heartfelt talk.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I'm sorry if I worry you over something like this. I can imagine what your reaction would be if you see me. It's been a few months since you visited Jasper and a lot has changed when you left. I just hope that you would understand what I'm going through. I'm also sorry if I we won't see each other for your birthday this year. I can imagine what work you are going through back at the Social Welfare Agency. I hope you and Elsa are not running into any trouble. Take good care of yourselves."

He then placed the picture frame back on the nightstand and was silent the rest of the way before leaving his room to train. Little does he know, the two already have their hands full in the SWA.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the other side of the planet, the city of Rome was peaceful as there was not a cloud in the sky. But down in the streets, they are not so peaceful a large group of people was marching down the streets, holding up signs and chanting…

 _'Aliens Go Home!'_  
 _'Aliens Go Home!'_  
 _'Aliens Go Home!'_  
 _'Aliens Go Home!'_

Seems as though that the news of the Invasion spread around the world. So much so that the planet was split half and half. The first half wants the protection from the Autobots and don't want the Decepticons spreading their path of destruction. The other half, however, believes that they are all a threat and want the Autobots off their planet and have the world's military handle it. Course, they don't know what the Decepticons are really capable of as they show no mercy to the human race, as demonstrated in Jasper. Now there they are, protesting in the streets of Rome, demanding the Italian government in not wanting the Autobots on their planet. But with a crowd this massive, there will always be the danger of something uneventful.

Up at the second floor of a ritzy hotel, a man in his thirties with shot blonde hair and a young girl with a bob cut blonde hair were looking out the window. They were of course Jean and Rico as they were looking at all the commotion.

Jean: "Anything, Rico?"

The girl looked to the crowd and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Rico: "Negative. There is no one within the crowd acting suspicious."

Jean sighed and could tell that this will be a slow day.

Jean: "It's been a week since the Padania's threat. It's strongly obvious that they will be targeting a city with a huge crowd. And with these protests in Rome, they are a prime target. We need to prevent that from happening."

He then got on the earpiece to contact the others.

Jean: "This is the Jean/Rico Team reporting in. No sign of any Padania agents in the east end. All other teams report in.

* * *

Down in the western side of Rome's main district, another two-team unit was at the top floor of the apartment looking down at the protesters. One is a man in his mid thirties with short and a bit spiky light brown hair and pale brown eyes and was wearing an orange jacket, a pair of black pants, and some tattered shoes. Next to his a young girl of eight with purple bob cut hair and light blue eyes and was wearing a combination of a dress and jacket that goes down her high thighs with the sleeves exposed over the jacket and mid leg length brown boots, carrying a IMI Micro Uzi. Her name is Beatrice, and she's the cyborg partner of Bernardo, her handler that was next to her. They were watching the protest as the handler got the call.

Jean: _"Bernardo/Beatrice team. How's it look like on your end?"_

Bernardo kept on watching and didn't see much.

Bernardo: "Nothing on our end, jean. Everything is quiet, well if you count quiet as a mod complaining of aliens on this planet. Will report back when something is off."

Jean heard that and decided to let them do their thing.

Jean: _"Understood, let me know if something happens."_

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the main square, two individuals were at a nearby café close to the protesters. They were of course John and Elsa as they were sitting by keeping watch. But, John didn't look his best as the news of what happened to his town got the worse of him. He had that dirty look on his face and his hair was completely shaggy with a cap on him to conceal his look. What's worse is that he had two to three bottles of beer and looked a little terrible in the face of everyone and the agency. As he and Elsa were watching, Jean contacted them.

Jean: _"John/Elsa team, come in. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?"_

John was completely silent as Jean spoke again.

Jean: _"John, are you there? Have you seen any Padania force within the protest?"_

Still nothing as Jean was getting impatient.

Jean: _"Jonathan Darby! Are you even there?!"_

That's when Darby responded.

John Darby: "I'm here…"

Jean could hear the sound of his voice and knew it wasn't right.

Jean: _"Are you drinking on the job? You know that you can't drink on missions. I need you to focus on searching for the Padania and stop them from launching their attack. With a crowd this big, there's no doubt they would strike here."_

John rolled his eyes around and told him that he got it.

John Darby: "What do you think I have Elsa with me? She is my eyes and ears and she's focused like a fox. She will back me up. Not to worry; we have everything under control."

Jean: _"That doesn't mean you have to be lazy. Get your act together and search for any terrorist threat from the Padania. Got it?"_

John gave a deep sigh and gave his response.

John Darby: "I got it… John, out."

He ended the comm. and started to drink his third bottle of beer again. As he drank, Elsa looked to him with worry and decided to break the silence.

Elsa de Sica: "Jean does have a point, sir. You haven't been yourself ever since what happened to your hometown."

John turned to his girl and wasn't pleased with what she said.

John Darby: "Why would you care. You went with me once and you said it yourself, it's not as entertaining. Me? That was my hometown! It is where I was born! And now what's left of that town is a wasteland that the Decepticons now occupy. It is a pain in the ass knowing that where you grew up is under enemy control, especially if the enemy are the Decepticons."

Elsa could tell that John was going into depression as she tried to reason with him.

Elsa de Sica: "I know things are bleak now, but you can't just give up like that. All we have to do now is to keep fighting. That's what the Autobots do when things look bleak. And that is what they're doing right now."

The Darby though glared at her and reminded her of them.

John Darby: "The Autobots? What about them? They've promised me that they will take care of my family while I was away and look where we are. I haven't heard from my family ever since that day and there was no mention of them during that time. For all I know, they've perished from that Decepticon attack. I should be joining the protesters on this matter."

He turned to the crowd protesting over the Autobots on this planet. Elsa heard that and was shocked by what he heard. To that, she told him to not think of that.

Elsa de Sica: "Don't say that! Don't you dare say that! The Autobots understood how important your wife and son are. They will never abandon them! They will do anything they can to protect them. Anything!"

John turned back to her and spat back.

John Darby: "And how do you know that? How do you know that my family is safe? You don't know it as much as I do!"

Elsa was silent as he did have a point. Still, she doesn't want to give up as she knew deep down that Jack and June are safe

Elsa de Sica: "Just don't give up hope yet, sir. I'm sure that they will be fine. You just need to fight for them."

John gave a bit of a grunt before getting back to his beer.

John Darby: "Hmph… Hope? I gave up on hope a long time ago…"

As soon as he was drinking his beer, Elsa drooped his head down and knew this wasn't getting her anyways.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh John… If you only understand…"

As soon as she said that, a huge explosion rocked the street as the protesters were blown off the ground. Both John and Elsa were caught by the blast as the table was turned over and they fell to the floor. They groaned as the smoke clouded the street everyone were either frightened or confused. Elsa soon got up and checked on her handler to see if he's fine.

Elsa: "Sir, are you all right?"

John slowly got up and rubbed the back to his head, responding to her worry.

John Darby: "I'm fine… I guess. They were right that beer shut off your pain receptors."

He soon hears Jean again and it sounded a little worried.

Jean: _"John, are you all right? We saw an explosion close to your position."_

John contacted Jean to let him know of what happened.

John Darby: "Yeah… We're good. Looks like you were right about the Padania attacking. They struck one of the sections in Rome's main square. We might be looking at some fatalities and injured."

Jean heard that and didn't like the sound of that news.

Jean: _"Damn it! I didn't want this to happen. Search the area! No doubt the killer is close by observing the damage."_

John listened in and nodded, sobering up for a quick second.

John Darby: "Got it. Stand by."

He soon turned to Elsa to tell her to search.

John Darby: "Elsa?"

The girl turned to him and understood what he wants. Picking up her violin case that was dropped from the blast, she jumped up the table as scanned the crowd for any Padania forces. Skimming left and right, she could only see protesters helping each other and tending to those that were seriously wounded. But then, she spotted what looked like a middle age man in his forties with shaggy blonde gray hair and wearing blue jacket over a light blue T-shirt, a pair of brown khakis, and a pair of dark brown loafers slowly backing away into an alley. Seeing him, she told John of the person.

Elsa de Sica: "Target has been sighted. Beginning pursuit!"

Jumping off the table, she ran ahead and went through the crowd that was recovering from the attack. As soon as she was gone, John contacted Jean and told him of this person.

John Darby: "Elsa has confirmed the target. It's a man in his forties with graying blonde shaggy hair. She's chasing him into the alley way and might need of an assist."

He could hear Jean on the other end as he told him that help is on the way.

Jean: _"Good. We'll send Rico and Beatrice to help Elsa with the capture. Out."_

Back to Elsa, she was running through the crowd as they were still recovering from the blast and helping those that were hurt fatally. By the time she got through the crowd, she saw the alley to person went into and got into the place in an instant. By the time she got there, she could see the person walking away and not fully aware of her presence. That was until she called him out.

Elsa de Sica: "Excuse me? Can I ask you something?"

The man stopped and turned to see a young girl with blonde back pigtails behind her. He was a little confused as to why she wanted to speak to him. But when he saw the violin case in her hand, his eyes grew wide and knew who she was and whom she works for. Turning back around, he immediately ran for it as Elsa started the chase while contacting the others on her comm. earpiece.

Elsa de Sica: "Target is on the run! I'm in pursuit!"

As she was running, she opened up the violin case to get her SG500 service rifle and dropped the case in the process. Once she got her clip in, she pointed it to him to fire, just to slow him down. The person looked around for a way in escaping, and spotted the fire escape that goes up to the roof. As he took that shot, Elsa pulled the trigger and fires a few shots on the person. The guy then took the right and headed to the fire escape, jumping up to the ladder. The shots missed the person as he was making a grand escape, going up the ladder and getting to the steps that will take him up. Elsa stopped where she was and lifted her rifle up to the fire escape to take him down. The person ducked down to avoid the bullets as they all ricocheted off the metal and created sparks left and right. He then quickly ran up the steps while keeping his head down from the many projectiles. By the time he got up and made an escape, Elsa lowered her rifle and said a Cybertronian cuss she learned.

Elsa de Sica: "Scrap…"

Getting on the comms, she spoke to the others of the situation.

Elsa de Sica: "Target has reached the rooftops. Be on the look out."

Up on the roof, the man made a miraculous escape from that girl. Getting as far away as he could, he rested on a chimney and took a breather, knowing that he was able to give her the slip. At first he thought that he was in the clear, that was until a single shot whizzed passed his face and hit the surface of the chimney's wall. He looked up right at the bullet hole on the wall and was confused by that. But when he turned to the direction of the bullet, he was shocked to see Rico standing there, holding her CZ-75 pistol in her hand, pointing to him.

Rico: "I have located the target."

The person knew that he wan trouble as he back to running on the roof. Rico soon followed him as the pursuit continued on. For over a minute, Rico chased her target as they jumped from one rooftop to another. When running on a thin and wide building, the person saw a gap as the end and decided to take the chance in loosing her. Getting enough momentum, he reached the end of the building and jump off it, going over a street that was stilled with rowdy protesters. As he landed on the other side on the rooftop, he continued to run and got away from Rico, but not before she could strike. Getting to cover behind the chimney, she peeked to the side before she could come out of cover and fired a few shots at him. Few of those bullets hit the tiles as they barely missed his feet. The person was breathing heavily and was getting very aggravated over this situation he was in. He soon jumped off the roof and landed on the lowered end of the roof to get away from the girl's firepower. Even when he went out of one predicament, he entered another. At a nearby bell tower, Beatrice was already ahead of him as she cocked her uzi to strike. By the time she saw him, his handler contacted her through the headset.

Bernardo: _"Beatrice, he's headed your way. Slow him down."_

The girl listened to him and followed it to the letter.

Beatrice: "Understood, sir."

The moment she said it, she got out of cover and fired her weapon at the part of the roof in front of him. The guy saw it and was too fast to stop the momentum. Before he could even stop, the roof started to break apart and caved in as the man fell through it. There was a plum of smoke from the aftermath as all Beatrice could see is a hole in the roof. When she took care of it, she let someone know of the news.

Beatrice: "Target has been stopped. He's all yours."

In the building he fell through, the person was lying on his back and was dazed and confused on what transpired. Groaning, he slowly got up and rubbed his head from the pain. But they the time he was up, he could hear footsteps in the distance. Perking up, he got to the belt of his pants and took out an M6D pistol to scan the area. From where he was though, he could see some sort of ballroom for special occasions, like a wedding or a birthday party. But with no one around, it's just an empty room with bare round tables, a bar, and an open space for dancing, which he was currently on. Looking around the area, he knew that it was dark and the only light was the windows illuminating the sunlight. Looking around, a black blur came whizzing by. The guy heard that and turned around, getting one shot, only nothing but air. He took a couple of breaths and thought he got the person. But then, he could hear some quick steps from behind as a shadow whizzed by pass the windows. He soon turned back and fired a few more shots, missing the mysterious person and hit the glass of one of the windows. He waited to see if he could hear many movements before he hard it to the left side. He turned to get a good shot at this person, but couldn't get it as the bullets reached the bar and hit a few bottles. He was getting upset, as he couldn't get this intruder. He took a deep breath and was getting impatient over this person. As he was waiting, a table was pushed off and flew towards him. He turned to see it and rolled to the side, avoiding the table. That was a dumb mistake as when he got up, he was caught off guard as the blur got closer. When this person came to the light, it was Elsa rushing to him. If he would've seen her eyes, they changed from dark green eyes to an unearthly light blue with a glowing hue. The guy didn't have time in reacting as Elsa gave him a straight spear to the to the gut. He was plowed to the ground as she let go and rolled back up. The guy quickly rolled over and still had his pistol with him as he took aim quickly to fire at her. With quick reaction time she pivoted and back kicked the gun carrying hand, knocking the pistol out of his clutches. He was caught by surprise as he didn't expect her to move this fast. Placing that foot on the floor, she turned her body to the opposite direction as she used the same foot to kick him in the face, knocking him down in a few short seconds. As soon as the fight was over, she closed her eyes and calmed down, opening them to reveal her normal green ones. She then contacted John on a private channel and tells him that the mission was successful.

Elsa de Sica: "John, the target has been subdued. I had to take… drastic steps though."

She could hear her handler on the other end asking one thing.

John Darby: _"Did anyone see you?"_

Elsa was quiet and told him the truth.

Elsa de Sica: "No sir, no one had seen me. The target didn't even see my eyes before I could take him out."

John Darby: _"Good… I cannot have Jean know of your special condition. If he finds out about your eyes changing and your enhanced abilities, then it could spell trouble for both of us. Tie him up and meet us at the parking lot. We would like to ask him a few questions."_

Elsa gave a quick nod and got the order very clearly.

Elsa de Sica: "Understood."

Turning her comm. off, she picked the guy up by the collar of his jacket and dragged him out of the ballroom, looking for something to tie him up with.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the guy was slowly squirmed and opened his eyes, wondering what happened to him. He then looked up and he soon saw Jean, Bernardo, and John in front of him with Rico, Beatrice, and Elsa by their side. The last thing he really wanted to see. Feeling panicked, he tried to get out. But as he did that, he fell flat on the side of his face and was a little woozy. Looking back, he realized what happened. His hands and legs were tied up in rope, making it impossible to escape. The three looked down to the person as Jean told him to not squirm.

Jean: "Don't even bother trying to escape. We have to make sure that those ropes are tight enough to keep you from leaving. It's enough time for us to talk."

The man listened in and groaned to himself, as he knew they it was fruitless.

Jean: "Now then, let us begin. Judging by your face, your name is Frances Moriado, a former navy soldier for the French armada. Went off the grid five years ago, as there were rumors that you have gone rouge over the Navy's questionable practices. Rumors were rampant that someone like you would join the Padania and set up an attack. Didn't expect that it was today during a protest. But there is a question I wanted to ask you. Did you or did you not set that explosion within the protests?"

Frances looked to Jean and turned his head away, not wanting to ask that question. Bernardo could see that and decided to go to a different approach.

Bernardo: "Hmm… Typical terrorist… Always giving the silent treatment. Well, there's more then one way to get an answer out of you."

He soon turned to his fratelo and ordered her to do something.

Bernardo: "Hey Bea… Smell him."

Beatrice turned to him and responded in the most obedient way.

Beatrice: "Yes sir."

She then approached the person and picked him up by the collar of his jacket. She then a good close up on him and sniffed him a couple of times. John looked to this and finds that to be a bit creepy. He knew that Bernardo use to work as a SWAT specialist whose work involves searching for bombs. He used to have a dog with him to sniff for any explosive residue to locate the location of the bomb. With him in the SWA, he used his girl as his own sniffing dog. A bit degrading, but it does get the job done. As soon as she sniffed him, she figured what he smells like.

Beatrice: "Military grade explosives. Highly volatile when armed. Can blow up a street within mere moments."

John listened in and remembered those types of explosives.

John Darby: "Seen my share of explosives back in the U.S. military. They can really do a number on people. Nothing compared to the one in Baghdad that killed my brother. But the explosion that happened near me and Elsa wasn't much of a blast. Just a simple opening act before the main event."

Jean listened to those two claims and deduced it all.

Jean: "So you're the one behind the protest bombing moments ago. Answer me or I'll make it hurt."

The person turned his head away and didn't feel like answering. But Bernardo has other types of methods and approached Jean for a proposal.

Bernardo: "Not so fast, Jean. Why don't we go take a look at this idiot's place first? After all, he's a blue. A Padania. Which means he's hiding some kind of evidence somewhere."

Frances looked a bit concern, knowing that they will find something in his apartment. John looked to him and was a little angry over it. Turning to Elsa, he told her to take him.

John Darby: "Elsa, put our prisoner in the van so we can take him to his apartment."

The girl turned to him and nodded.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes sir."

She then grabbed that person by the back and carried him to the back of Jean's van next to John's Harley. John looked to her carrying him and was very serious over this. Almost like he's a different person. Bernardo saw this and decided to speak to Jean about it.

Bernardo: "Hey Jean? Have you noticed anything different about John?"

Jean looked back to him and was curious.

Jean: "What do you mean?"

That's when he explained it thoroughly.

Bernardo: "What I mean is that he's sort of loosing himself. Ever since the news of Jasper, he's slowly changing both physically and mentally. He's been distancing himself with his comrades when we're on missions. He's always quiet whenever he's in meetings. He tends to snap and someone tries to speak with him, unless he's in the conversation. And whenever he wants to vent out his anger, he uses Elsa to release that anger for him. I feel that he's becoming a hazard to the agency."

Jean listened in and could agree with him at some points.

Jean: "I'm fully aware of John's behavior. The fact that his family was in that town that he was born in, the destruction of that town could mentally damage a person. The Agency is keeping a close eye on him, in case he goes off. But the Section 2's director is thinking about suspending him if things get a little out of hand. Let's just hope he doesn't cross that line."

Bernardo took a deep breather and he thought of one more thing.

Bernardo: "This is one more thing I want to discuss about. It would seem that both John and Elsa always have radio silence from the rest of us. Almost like they are keeping something for themselves. Sounds suspicious, don't you think?"

Jean heard this and was a bit silent about it too. Those two have been acting strange since they returned from Jasper. It's almost like something wasn't right about them. Thinking that through, he decided to speak about it.

Jean: "All right… I speak to John about it when we get to the person's apartment. Perhaps he should clear up the air on some things."

The two soon walked away with the girls following behind.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the three-fratelo teams drove down to the Padania member's apartment as Jean told Rico to force him to give them directions by gunpoint. After a bit of a drive and avoiding traffic where the protesting is happening, they managed to reach Frances's apartment. As they got into the apartment, Beatrice took the lead as she sniffed the air for any bomb making residue or any gunpowder. Jean and Bernardo walked behind them while Rico followed suit with her pistol in her hand in case of an ambush. Right behind them was John and Elsa as Elsa was keeping Frances behind with her hands tightening his wrists to prevent him from escaping. As they were walking down the hall, Bernardo stopped at a bathroom close by and look inside for something useful. Meanwhile, Beatrice kept on walking while sniffing the air for anything out of the ordinary. Just then, she picked up something and turned herself to the left where in front of her is a wall. But as she got a good enough whiff, the Padania member realized what she found and struggled to get out of Elsa's grasp. John could see him escaping and told him to stop.

John Darby: "Enough! Hold still and we will make it easy on you. Trust me, escaping could only make it worse."

Bernardo turned to see Beatrice looking to the wall and smelling something.

Bernardo: "Hmm… Did you find it, Bea?"

The girl turned to him and responded with a blank but obedient expression.

Beatrice: "Yes."

Looking into the bathroom, he found a hand towel and tossed it to his fratelo.

Bernardo: "Here."

The girl got a hold of the towel and turned back to the wall. Once she placed it on the brick surface, she used a stiff tiger claw to punch the wall, resulting it to crumble completely and formed an opening. John looked to this and was confused by the way that works.

John Darby: "You know, I don't get why you have Beatrice use the towel for something as simple as punching a hole through a wall. She would just use the hand in general and nothing else.

Bernardo turned to him and explained his reasons.

Bernardo: "I know, but I don't want Bea here to ruin those delicate hands of yours."

The Darby gave a deep sigh and already got his answer.

John Darby: "Right… I forgot… You have that sick obsession of little girl hands. You really are that creepy for a bomb searcher."

Bernardo shrugged his shoulders and told him that it was nothing.

Bernardo: "What can I say? As much as I like them, I don't simply act stalker like and harass girls. Sometimes you watch as a safe distance."

Jean simply ignored that conversation and approached the hole Beatrice created, when the smoke cleared, he discovered that looked like a ton of C4 charges with the title _'Semtex'_ on them. Picking one of them, he inspected it and knew what they are.

Jean: "Semtex C4 explosives. High military grade and very difficult to obtain. Perfect use to demolish an entire building if placed correctly and has a high bargain at the black market. So, wanna tell me how you acquired this? Only military men can get their hands on high-grade explosives such as these."

Frances looked on and could tell that he was caught, but he's strong willed and wouldn't say a word. He soon turned his head away and won't open his mouth. John looked to him and decided to take some drastic action.

John Darby: "Don't waste your time, Jean. It is what Bernardo said, Padania's tend to keep their mouths shut and are strong willed. No matter how many times you ask, they won't open their mouths. And since they won't speak, we have to open their mouths for them."

He soon turned to Elsa and told her to begin.

John Darby: "Elsa, let's get started."

The girl looked up to her fratelo and was a little worried.

Elsa de Sica: "Are you sure this is a good idea, sir. After that last interrogation nearly killed the last guy…"

John stood up to her and told her that it was an order.

John Darby: "This is a Padania sympathizer we're talking about. They won't speak until we force them to. Now hurt him until he decides to talk. Don't hold any punches back."

Elsa heard that and gave off a deep sigh, knowing that she's not going to like it.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes, sir. I'll get started right away."

To that end, she tossed Frances into the bathroom and laid him on the floor. She soon approached him, tightening his knuckles, and begins the procedure.

Elsa de Sica: "I'll give you a fair warning. If you don't say anything now, then I will have no choice but to force the answer out of you."

The Padania member looked on with confidence, but his eyes were showing fear of what she'll do. Seeing him not saying a word, she sighed and got started anyways.

Elsa de Sica: "Very well…"

Just like that, she started to punch and pummel the Padania member to get something out of him. Outside the bathroom, all three handlers and the girls were waiting for Elsa with their backs on the walls. Bernardo could hear the torture Frances was going through and gave a deep breather.

Bernardo: "You know what? I feel bad for him."

Jean though had no remorse as he explained the person's action.

Jean: "He's committed a serious offense. He can feel bad about himself behind bars."

As they were waiting, Jean decided to speak to John about something.

Jean: "Jonathan Darby, mind if I ask you something?"

John turned to him and was curious on what they want.

John Darby: "Sure… What do you want to talk about?"

Jean soon turned to him and explained what he heard.

Jean: "It's about you and Elsa. From what I heard, you and your partner have been under radio silent during missions with other fratelo teams. It's almost like you two are hiding something. Care to explain some things?"

John heard him and knew that he was getting suspicious. If he found out about Elsa's enhanced abilities, there will be some serious consequences. So clearing his throat, he lied about what's really going on.

John Darby: "No… Nothing is wrong. We were just having a private chat is all."

Jean stared him down and could figure out what is going on.

Jean: "Okay, I get it. You are still having a difficult time with what happened in your hometown. Could understand what you're going through. But you can't get your emotions interfere with the task at hand."

John heard that and spoke back to him.

John Darby: "Like you know how I feel. I had a wife and son in that town. Not hearing from them since that attack, I'm starting to doubt that they have gotten out of there in time."

Jean was silent about it and decided to tell him not to give up.

Jean: "Don't give up on them, John. I'm sure that they will be fine."

John soon turned back and wasn't sure of this.

John Darby: "Hmph… Like that will happen anytime soon."

Jean sighed knew that he's going through that downward spiral. As the talk was going on, Elsa was still pummeling the Padania member and looked like he was on the verge of getting killed. Bernardo noticed this and was getting a little worried about it. He soon turned to Jean and asked about this problem.

Bernardo: "Hey Jean, you think that now would be a good time for Elsa to stop? If she keeps it up in there, and we'll learn real quick that we can't question a dead guy."

Jean looked back to him and then into the bathroom, seeing Elsa bloodied up the poor person. Noticing it, he turned to John and told him to stop Elsa.

Jean: "John, I do believe our friend there had enough. I do believe now's the time to tell Elsa to stop."

He waited for John and respond, but he didn't, as he wanted to let Frances get hurt. Jean could see him in the zone and he knew what that meant. Since the attack in Jasper, John gets in the zone, he always let Elsa bring the punishment to any Republican Faction and Padania member close by. But in John's head, he sees the memories of what transpired during his trip to Jasper, the encounter with Airachnid, the footage of his hometown being over runned, and the image of Elsa getting hit by Megatron's dark energon blaster. It's those types of images to play in his head many times whenever he's in that zone. Seeing this, Jean told him again.

Jean: "John, order your girl to stop. Our capture won't survive if she keeps this up."

John still didn't do anything as he lets her continue to pummel the poor soul. Jean had just about had it as he placed his hand on the Darby's shoulder to get his attention.

Jean: "John! I'm demanding you that-"

That was a huge mistake as John reacted by grabbing him by the collar of his button shirt and pushed him to the other side of the wall. The force of the attack let his sunglasses fall off his face and his head bouncing off the wall. Jean was shocked by this turn of events, as he didn't expect John to get aggressive. Even his eyes looked evil, as he was about to choke someone to death. Most likely, Jean as he was about to suffer that said fate. But then, John could hear the sound of guns cocking close by and turned around to see Rico and Beatrice pointing their own weapons at him. Bernardo looked to him with surprise and told him to stop it.

Bernardo: "Easy now, Johnny. Don't do anything you would regret."

John looked to them and decided to now isn't the time to lash out on someone. Slowly letting Jean go, he took a deep breather and told Elsa to stop.

John Darby: "Elsa, that's enough!"

Elsa heard that and stopped the beat down, getting up to show them her work. Bernardo soon approached Frances to see his face looking like a complete mess. Checking for a pulse, he was relieved that the Padania member was fine.

Bernardo: "He's alive, barely. We need to take him to the agency for immediately care."

John leaned on the wall and was awfully quiet after what transpired. Jean then repositioned his suit before picking up his glasses and putting them on.

Jean: "Like I said before, John, you can't get your emotions get in the way in the mission. Get your act together, or we'll take drastic measures. Is that clear?"

John was still quiet, until he responded with a simple word.

John Darby: "Crystal…"

With that said, Jean got his cell phone out and contacted the Section 2 of the situation, walking away from the near catastrophe. Bernardo and Beatrice came behind, carrying a beaten Frances out of his apartment with Rico following behind. Soon enough, all that was left were John and Elsa, as the girl approached his handler to speak of something.

Elsa de Sica: "John, is everything okay? You almost lost it back there."

John turned to her and didn't want to look at her face with what just happened. Turning away, he asked her for a small favor.

John Darby: "Just leave me alone. I need some time alone with my thoughts."

Elsa starred at him and could tell that he was completely distraught on the whole thing.

Elsa de Sica: "But-"

That's when John snapped on her.

John Darby: "I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!?

Elsa stepped back and was shocked to see him act this way. But giving what he's been going through, she understood and nodded, walking away to give him some space. As soon as everyone was gone, John digged underneath his shirt and took out the two dog tags. Looking to his brother's he started to cry softly and felt weak over what transpired for over a month.

John Darby: "Oh Kevin… What has happened to me…? Have I really gone over the edge…? What did I do to deserve this…?"

Tightening his fist over the dog tags, he said a few more things that made him feel upset.

John Darby: "June… Jack… I'm sorry…"

* * *

 **That's all for this second chapter. Got to say, it was quite and difficult one to do at the end. Giving how to combine the Clever Snake, Simple Pigeon episode with John and Elsa in the mix. But hey, at least we got some emotion at the end. Really does tug on the heartstrings a little bit. Anyways, I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be about John as he gets into a bit of trouble with the agency and then made a startling discovery with the help of a friend at Section 2. You will see what I mean when I post that up. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	3. Closure

**Before I could begin with this next chapter, I would like to share some exciting news. Since late 2012 – 2013, my own version of Transformers Prime Season 3 has become very popular within the Fanfiction community. Preferably because most people believed that the actual third season was not only short, but also leaves a few questions that were left unanswered. It felt like this story, along with my extra supplement in Transformers Prime: Invasion, gives readers and clear view on what the season should've actually felt like. So much so that there was someone that was inspired to make his own version of Transformers Prime Season 3.**

 **See, this person's name is nphillips0115 and he made a story that is based around my own. Though he had to make some serious adjustments and add a different plot, since he doesn't want to plagiarize my work. Still, I took a good look at this chapter and could tell that this is a good start. Well, I had to beta the chapter for him on Google Docs to see if there are some misspellings and the like. But he has the potential in making just as good a story and mine. You are welcome to have a quick read through of that. The title of this said story is called, _'Transformers Prime Season 3 Episode 1: Metamorphosis'_ , not to be confused of my first episode, _'Rebirth'_. Go check his story out and leave a review for him. He would like to see some good results of his work.**

 **Moving to what happened on the last chapter, things look pretty solid. I got eight reviews for it and around 700 hits on the first go. Pretty decent by my standards. Unfortunately, I do have the tendency of any guest reviewers that bother me in updating. I swear, these people don't have the patience anymore. But it is what it is and I have to keep deleting these update stories until I can find a way in removing them permanently.**

 **On the next chapter of the fourth episode of Transformers Prime Season 3: My version, Starscream, Soundwave, and Knockout start the investigation on how the former human pets turn into Cybertronians in the first place. Meanwhile, John was completely distraught when he got suspended due to what happened in Rome. But when Jose arrived with news and proof that his family is alive, it lead John into many questions of why they haven't let him know that they're all right.**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **Now there are some people that would state that they wanted to see Attinger or Godfrey in future stories. While I don't want to rush things, I still would like to give them a few appearances in the coming episodes. This chapter won't be different. Read closely as you might get a chance seeing Attinger's name within the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girl**

* * *

Chapter Three: Closure

In the docking area of Darkmount, the Nemesis was fueled up and ready to depart on the investigation. At the loading bay, where there's a bridge connecting between the departure area and the ship, Starscream and Soundwave stood outside, waiting for someone to arrive. Though the Intel officer was quiet and stood by, the commander was impatient as he was pacing back and forth, waiting for the third wheel to come. After around the fiftieth turn, he just about lost it and groaned to himself, turning to Soundwave for an answer.

Starscream: "Argh…! Where is he?! We are all set to begin the assignment and he's nowhere to be found. You think for someone as professional as him, he would have to decency to come when I'm here."

Soundwave just stood there and starred at him with his visor, acting all cool and collective. Scream just raised an optic ridge and sighed to himself.

Starscream: "Of course you have to be so quiet no matter what I say. The whole vow of silence and all that jazz… Sometimes, I even wondered if you ever had a voice box, or you would be mute just for giggles."

The Intel officer still didn't respond as he just watched on with little interest. Just then, a metal door close behind Starscream opened up and in walks a Con with crimson red and gray armor with front doors on his arms and a cocky yet professional look on his face. That individual is Knockout, the Decepticons field medic. He walked in as he saw the two waiting for him.

Knockout: "Commander Starscream, Soundwave, here I am."

Scream heard him and turned around to see the medic standing there, with a look of distaste on his face.

Starscream: "Knockout… You're late…"

Knockout wave him off and explained what took him so long.

Knockout: "Oh, sorry about the long wait, I'm still trying to buff my armor after that mess that happened in that courtyard weeks ago."

The commander looked to him strangely and remembered what he meant.

Starscream: "You mean that Predacon debacle that transpired? Don't tell me you're still buffing the body work."

The medic shrugged it off and told him that it was a very big deal.

Knockout: "Well when that statue was on top of all of us, I had to make sure that my body work is back into perfection. You can imagine how many times I have to rebuff and polish when I'm missing a spot."

Starscream face palmed himself and groaned by the unexpected event.

Starscream: "Urgh… Just this once, I really wish you would get your hands dirty on something. A perfectionist like you never really understands the true value of war."

Knockout then looked to Starscream and asked why he was here.

Knockout: "So… What's really going on? Megatron told me that you are going on a special mission and you need my medical expertise in the field. Yet he never told me anything about it."

The commander turned to him and decided to get back on the task at hand.

Starscream: "Yes… Well since you're here, I might as well fill you in on the situation. I do believe you recalled the so call neutrals that entered Darkmout and who they really are?"

The medic nodded as he remembered about the younglings.

Knockout: "Of course I'd remembered. I swear, how that femme has the same weaponry as that of my deceased partner is beyond me. Why?"

Starscream: "Well, when that boy destroyed Predaking, Megatron started to get curious as to how they went from being human to Cybertonian, as a feat like that was close to impossible. So he appointed me to the task of investigating how they came to be."

Knockout listened to him and now understood that part, but the other part was left behind.

Knockout: "That's nice and all… But what does that have to do with me?"

Starscream: "Well, before they came into the citadel, Soundwave did pick up some unknown energon signatures on the radar while searching for the Autobots. Four at one location and multiple on the other."

The medic smirked and reminded him of that part.

Knockout: "Ah yes… You mean those signatures you blindly ignored as if they were nothing.

The commander cringed when he heard that, but continued on with the conversation.

Starscream: "Yes… Well I didn't know of this until the younglings entered the town we've destroyed. Anyways, do to that unexpected event; Megatron really wants us to head down to where the mysterious energon signatures appear. For he believes that there are more of those humans turned Cybertronians then the three that entered Darkmount. We need to investigate those signatures and where they came from. If we ever find one of these new Cybertronians, we might have to bring one of them in to see how they were created."

Knockout raised an optic ridge and figured out what he was here for.

Knockout: "Let me guess… I have to do the dissecting."

Scream got a chuckle out of it and reminded him of the one time that he had to dissect something.

Starscream: "Well you did dissect Silas during those time in Darkmount when you're bored."

The medic got a little upset as he explained about that.

Knockout: "That's because I wanted revenge on what that human did to Breakdown! The only reason I'm keeping him alive is to continuously torture him."

Starscream: "And you will have a new Cybertronian to play with. With you along for the ride, we might be able to figure out what's inside those abominations that the pets of the Autobots become."

Knockout listened in and decided to take part of it, giving he was curious as how humans turned into Cybertronians.

Knockout: "Hmm… Might as well join you. Got nothing better to do in his base but more buffing. So where to?"

It was then that Scream told him where to go.

Starscream: "Tennessee… Where the first energon signatures were located. We search there and find any evidence of how the humans turned to our kind. If we don't have anything of worth, then we'll head on down between North and South Dakota, where the multiple energon signatures were located. There, we might have some luck on who created Cybertronians. I just hope that we might be able to find something, otherwise we won't return without any evidence."

Knockout tilted his head and knew it didn't sound too good.

Knockout: "Megatron has you on a leash, is he?"

Scream sighed and answered straightly.

Starscream: "In a way, yes. Now let's go. We're already wasting our time here."

With that, the three entered through the bridge and entered the flagship. Once they were in, the bridge retracted and the ship started to hum to life. Inside the Nemesis, Starscream, Soundwave, and Knockout were at the main bridge as Starscream gave the orders.

Starscream: "All units, prep for departure. Soundwave, bridge us to the Tennessee so we can begin our investigation."

Soundwave nodded as the visor was turned on and a bridge picture was showed with data of where they need to be. At the end of the docks, a huge ring was at the exit and was humming to life. It was then that the bridge was emanated from the hanger and opened a portal to let them through. It was a known fact that they cannot disengage the dome that covers the fortress and the remains of Jasper. For if they do, the army that surrounds it will retaliate. That is why Darkmount's docks has its own spacebridge that will take them anywhere in the planet, without dropping the shield. Once the bridge is opened, Starscream gave the order to begin.

Starscream: "Move forward!"

The ship started to levitate and slowly moved forward straight to the bridge. Ground troops stepped back, as the ship went forward and went on smoothly. As the Nemesis flew forward, it headed to the bridge and went through it, leaving Darkmount and entered the state where the first energon signatures were located. When the ship left, the bridge closed and the ship was gone.

* * *

In the throne room, Megatron watched the flagship leaving with the virtual screen that emanates through the pillars on the side. Once they made a leave, he smirked wickedly and wishes his second in command the best of luck.

Megatron: "All right Starscream… Let's see if your trust will be tested after your horrendous blunder…"

* * *

Returning to Italy, at the Social Welfare Agency, the place was as busy as it is. After the attack, the folks down in Section 2 were working around the clock, getting tabs on any attacks from the RF or Padania. Employers and agents were moving back and forth as some were at their desks with stacks of papers and reports of recent attacks for the past couple of weeks. In one of the desks, John was typing down a report at what happened in Rome when that bomber attacked a protest rally. His eyes were tired as he sipped his coffee, trying to stay awake. He rarely got any sleep for the past number of weeks as he was waiting patiently for any news of his family, if there is one. He rubbed his eyes trying to get the sleep from his eyes. But as he did that, he heard someone from behind.

Ferro: "Mr. Darby…"

He heard that a turned around, only to see a woman in a suit with a cold look on her face. He cleared his throat and told her that he's almost finished.

John Darby: "Ms. Ferro. I just want to let you know that I'm almost finished with the report on the protest bombing in Rome. You didn't really need to check on me."

Ferro though looked to him and told him that why she is here.

Ferro: "As much as I want to check on you, that's not what I'm here."

John looked to him with confusion and wondered why she's there.

John Darby: "Okay… So why are you here…?"

That's when Ferro asked him to head someplace.

Ferro: "Lorenzo wants you in his office immediately. He wishes to discuss to you about what occurred in Rome. Mainly of what transpired during the mission."

John heard that and was silent over this. It was too much silent though as he looked around and saw the employees and agents stopped what they're doing and starred at him, like he done something bad. The Darby looked back to Ferro and decided to break this silent.

John Darby: "All right… I'll go… Let's see what he wants this time."

He soon got out of his desk and left the offices to see what Lorenzo wanted. Jose looked to this and could tell that he was in a complete distraught over all of this. Mainly, wanting to know what happened to his family. Feeling sorry for him, he decided to do something to help him, turning to Hillshire for a quick favor.

Jose: "Hillshire, can you do me a favor and search for the report on the obituary of the people killed in Jasper, Nevada."

Hillshire turned to him and was curious about that.

Hillshire: "Why would I want to do that?"

That when Jose asked why in the truthful way, yet secretive.

Jose: "Just wanted to see on a few people that are in that town."

* * *

As John was walking, there were people he passed as they looked at him and whispered about him. He felt a little uncomfortable over this, as he knew they were speaking about him for the bad reason. The news of what happened in Rome certainly got the agency talking. He's certain that's the reason why he's called to Lorenzo's office to speak about it. But that's the possibility. Still, he needs to see what he wants to discuss about. After a long walk through the hallway John soon approached the double doors that lead to the main office of Lorenzo. Taking a deep, he knocked on the door a couple of times as he waited for a response. He finally got a response as he heard the boss telling him to enter.

Lorenzo: "Come in…"

Slowly, he opened the door and got into the office. But by the time you entered, you could see Jean walking away from Lorenzo and was leaving. The two soon stop as they looked to each other for a few seconds until John started the conversation.

John Darby: "Jean…"

The other agent looked to him and responded back.

Jean: "John… Good luck… You're going to need it."

He soon walked away and left the office, closing the door behind him. John blinked as he wondered why he was there. That's when Lorenzo told him to sit down.

Lorenzo: "Jonathan Darby. Good to see you. Please have a seat."

The Darby turned to him with a bit of confusion and then decided to follow him. Approaching his desk, he took a seat and cleared his throat.

John Darby: "You wanted to see me, sir."

Lorenzo looked to him with a stern expression and explained about what transpired.

Lorenzo: "But of course. I called you here in regards to the last assignment you had with Jean and Bernardo in Rome."

John blinked and knew where this was going.

John Darby: "Is that why Jean was here?"

Lorenzo nodded and continued with the conversation.

Lorenzo: "Indeed. Jean had explained to me what has happened when the bombing protest started. He even said that you went a little too far with your interrogation again. Do you know why you did that?"

John looked away and explained it as much as he could without causing some problems.

John Darby: "The damn bastard didn't want to talk. I had to let Elsa do some drastic measures to get an answer out of him. Is that what we do here in Section 2? Beat the terrorist that threaten this country?"

Lorenzo: "Yes we do. But that doesn't mean that we have to pummel them into a coma. What you did out there was uncalled for and you didn't stop your girl from beating the person up. It's a miracle he's still alive, but we have to put him on life support until he's stable. We were also thankful that he had given us details on where he got those explosive charges before he passed out from his injuries."

John nodded and was relieved that it wasn't that serious. He soon got up and decided to leave, saying his farewell.

John Darby: "Okay then, that makes sense. So that's it with me? Can I go?"

He soon got off his seat and was going to leave with Lorenzo saying anything. But before he could leave, the Section 2 boss stopped him where he was.

Lorenzo: "We're not done here, Darby. Sit back down please."

John sighed and knew this was going to happen. Sitting back down, he decided to wait until he's being called to leave.

John Darby: "Okay…"

Lorenzo then had his hands together and explained about the situation.

Lorenzo: "Jonathan Darby, I called you to my office and discuss about your erratic behavior as of late."

John raised an eyebrow and was a little bit confused.

John Darby: "Erratic behavior? What erratic behavior?"

Lorenzo: "You know what I mean. For the past few weeks, you have been acting aggressive on missions. Rushing in on the battlefield. Giving out imposing threats to the Section 2 staff. You even let Elsa unleash that wrath through the RF and Padania terrorists. And after what happened in Rome, this raises some questions regarding your health."

John crossed his arms and knew where this was going.

John Darby: "My health is not a concern, sir. I'm going through some tough times."

Lorenzo sighed and knew he's keeping it to himself and understands what this is all about.

Lorenzo: "It indeed it, John. I have never seen you act this way before until weeks ago. Right when Jasper Nevada was attacked."

John peeked his eyes to him before looking away and was emotionally silent.

John Darby: "Drop it."

Lorenzo: "John, listen… What happened to Jasper certainly was a hard time for all of us. Those many lives lost, it would take a while to recover."

John though wasn't buying it and told his superior about himself.

John Darby: "You think what happened was a hard time? You don't know much about me then! I was born in that town. I grew up in that town. I had a family in that town! You don't know anything about living in Jasper. I do!"

Lorenzo heard all this and gave a quick nod.

Lorenzo: "You're right… I do not know about Jasper, but I do know about loss. Most of the handlers here loss someone close to them. We have girls that loss their families from murderers, rapists, and terrorists before they were conditioned. You, John, you can't linger on the fact that what happened to your home. You need to accept the fact that you lost your house, that you lost your family, and-"

That's when John turned to him and instantly snap.

John Darby: "Don't you dare say that my family is gone! They cannot be gone! I know that they are safe!"

Lorenzo was taken back by this unexpected anger, but kept on being cool and collective as he continued on with the conversation.

Lorenzo: "John, you're family hadn't called after the invasion. And giving the casualty count in Jasper, there is no doubt that your wife and son perished within the wreckage. How do you know that they are still alive?"

John was about to say something until he stopped and turned his head away. A part of him wanted to say that the Autobots are keeping watch over them, but he wouldn't say it, as there will be a lot of suspicion. Especially since the SWA realized that the party responsible for hacking into their database to steal some sensitive information were the Cons that attacked his hometown. So, giving it some second thoughts, he decided to keep his mouth shut and tell him the half-truth.

John Darby: "Let's just say that I have some connections in that town. The same type of connections that managed to recover the data that was taken from the agency."

Lorenzo: "You mean the information that was important was stolen by the same terrorists that attacked your town. A part of which that you've never told us about that in the first place."

John sighed and knew where this was going.

John Darby: "Oh please… As if you think you would believe me in the first place. If I did tell you that the terrorist that stole that important Intel were alien robots from a planet far away that can transform into vehicles, before the attack of my town mind you, you would've labeled me insane and put me in a ward from the start. Now everyone knows that aliens exist and I'm the sane one."

Lorenzo cleared his throat and decided to let that slide.

Lorenzo: "Yes… Well, at least we understand what we're up against this time. The Italian government is a bit on edge with the situation that happened in the US. Combined that with the growing increase in attacks from both the Republican Faction and the Padania along with the Pinocchio case, the Social Welfare Agency is on high alert. The last thing we need is someone not focused on the task ahead and going rouge on us. You left me no choice. I'm suspending you for a month."

John looked up and was in a state of shock about this.

John Darby: "Wait… What…? You're suspending me?!"

Lorenzo: "Until you can keep your head straight, I'm keeping you off on missions for a whole month. You and Elsa."

He soon stood up from his chair and complained about the boss's decision.

John Darby: "You can't do that to me! I worked my ass off trying to find the party responsible for the death of my brother and this is how you respond after what happened in Rome?!"

Lorenzo: "It's not Rome, John. You went off the books in a few other missions as well. Something I cannot ignore. I can't let you go rouge on us. You are dismissed."

John Darby: "But Lorenzo, I-"

Lorenzo: "I said, you are dismissed… Why don't you take some time off? Head out to town for a while? You really need to take a breather from all of this."

John stood there in silence and still couldn't believe of what just happened. He was suspended, because of his actions in Rome. How could this have happened? Has what happened in Jasper the cause of it? Perhaps the fact that his wife and son didn't contact him and told him that they are all right? This is so much for him to process as he didn't hear Lorenzo speak to him.

Lorenzo: "Darby?"

John broke his concentration and looked down to see the Section 2 boss with a look of worry.

Lorenzo: "Is everything okay? Do I make myself clear on my decision?"

John could tell that he is getting concern for one of his agents. Taking a deep breath, he decided to lie a little through his teeth.

John Darby: "Yes, sir… I understand clearly…"

Lorenzo gave a small smile and decided to leave it at that.

Lorenzo: "Good… Now please leave. Have the night off. You need it after what you've been through."

John was quiet to all of this as he decided to follow his advice, for now. So with a quick nod, he decided to listen to him for once.

John Darby: "But of course…"

He soon turned away and was going to leave Lorenzo's office. But not before his boss said one more thing.

Lorenzo: "And John?"

Darby stopped where he was and turned to him, wondering what he wants this time. That's when Lorenzo asked for one thing in mind.

Lorenzo: "Just forget about your family, okay. It's obvious that they didn't survive the attack. Just accept it."

John was quiet over the whole thing and turned away without responding to him. However, he did say something under his breath as he left Lorenzo's office.

John Darby: "I'll never forget about my family. No matter what…"

To that end, he left his office and closed the door behind him, deciding to have the night out to himself.

* * *

An hour and a half later, the bar in a town near the agency was nearly empty as a few people were having their drinks and talking of business and other things. But down at the bar counter, a lone man was sitting on the stool feeling worse for wares. That person is John Darby as he was drinking his sorrows away with shots of bourbon. After drinking what seems like his fourteenth glass, he placed it down on the counter and was still bummed over the fact that he's suspended because of what happened to his hometown. As if to make things worse, the TV in the corner was on and it was showing a BBC news report of a reporter on one side and a bald man with a dark mustache, gray bread, and glasses on the other. That person was Harold Attinger, one of the congress members that have a major distain of aliens sharing their planet and is on the campaign of kicking the Autobots off Earth after the Jasper attack. He was on the TV to continue his campaign as he explained to the reporter of the situation.

Attinger: _"As you know, the alien threat is far dangerous then we have imagined. The attack of Jasper, Nevada proves that these Decepticons are a force to be reckon with. But will the Autobots defend us against them? The answer is a huge no. They weren't there when that town was attacked and they caused major damage in Sumdac Systems in Detroit. They cannot be trusted with their protection. Which is why I am asking for the United Nations to abolish the Aliens and Humans Alliance Act and to remove the Autobots from this planet post haste."_

John looked to the screen and was silent during the whole thing. The reporter then asked Attinger of the repercussions.

 _"And are you sure that it would be wise in removing the Autobots while the Decepticons are still on this planet. You said it yourself, the Cons did attack Jasper, but it was because the military was poorly equipped to take them on. You think that we can take them on with out the Autobots protection?"_

Attinger chuckled a little bit as he explained that things would be handled.

Attinger: _"Trust me, things have gotten bad in Jasper. But understand that we will be more prepared for the Decepticon threat in the near future, with better weapons and the like. As far as the Autobots are concerned, they had done enough damage to our precious planet and must leave once an agreement is finalized. Believe me when I say this, I was one of the few that disagreed with the act for fears of something like this would happen. The UN has to understand that the Autobots are of an opposing threat as that of the Cons. We have to wake up and make the decision that we humans will protect our planet, not the-"_

Soon enough, the screen went to static as the channel was switched to the sporting station and was showing a soccer game already in progress. The bartender looked to this and grunted to himself.

"Hmph… Had enough of that crap. I swear these politics and controversies are already driving this world insane. Next thing you know, we'll have a billionaire entrepreneur with no political knowledge or experience taking over as US president. What a hoot that will be."

John though watched on and turned his head away after the news was over. Taking another drink, he placed the glass top down and asks for another.

John Darby: "Reload…"

The bartender heard this and turned to see the many glasses on the counter top. Seeing so many, he sighed and told him that it was enough.

"I don't think you need another. It looks like you had enough."

John though wasn't pleased with that and asked again.

John Darby: "I said give me another! I really need to pent out my frustration on drinking!"

The bartender looked to this and decided to let it all slide.

"All right, man. If you say so… It's going to be your funeral by the way."

He soon walked away to give him another shot of bourbon. John simply slumped his shoulders as he was still depressed at what just happened. As he was waiting for his next shot, someone came into the bar and was slowly approaching the Darby. He soon went next to him and said something.

Jose: "Hmm… Fourteen shots of bourbon, soon to be fifteen. Not a good sign…"

John looked to him and could see that was his good friend, Jose.

John Darby: "What do you want, Jose?"

Jose looked to him and answered back.

Jose: "Looking for you. After you left the Agency, I figured you would come here to drown all your sorrows in booze."

He then soon sat next to him and explained what he has heard.

Jose: "So I heard of what happened with Lorenzo. That must be really tough for you. Suspended for a full month just because of the incident in Rome? You're lucky that he didn't do worse to you."

John gave a deep sigh and decided to tell him the real reason.

John Darby: "What happened in Rome wasn't the reason why I was suspended, Jose. It was something else."

Jose thought about it and knew what he was talking about.

Jose: "It's about your family?"

Darby heard that and turned away.

John Darby: "Yeah… It's about that…"

Jose soon took a seat and knew that's what troubling him.

Jose: "Look, John, I can understand how hard it is worry of you wife and son. But you really need to get that out of your system. Your concern for your family is really causing problems in the office. Especially now since the world is on edge after the attack of your hometown."

John Darby: "Yeah… The attack of my hometown… That really got me pissed off. So let me get this straight, you want me to forget about June and Jack, after what I had to go through. You're starting to sound like Lorenzo."

Jose rolled his eyes around and knew this wasn't getting him anywhere.

Jose: "I'm not saying that you would forget about them. You will never forget about them. I'm trying to say that you shouldn't give up on them. Many people thought that they perished along with everyone else, but they are wrong."

John looked to him and was a little confused by that.

John Darby: "And what makes you think that they still out there? Huh…? What proof do you have that shows that they are still kicking?"

That's when Jose took something out of his jacket and placed it on the counter to show him.

Jose: "Here… Have a look at this."

John looked to the file with a piece of paper inside and was confused, turning back to Jose for answers.

John Darby: "What's this?"

Jose then explained about what he discovered.

Jose: "That is the complete list of the obituary of the many people that lost their lives in Jasper. Turns out, Hillshire's friend works at the Pentagon in Washington and is in charge of the casualty count on wars or tragedies. Had to even pull a few strings to get the complete report on the lives lost, all of which are alphabetical in last name."

John looked to this list and still wasn't impressed with this.

John Darby: "And what does that have to do with me?"

Jose sighed and knew he is being too incompetent. So he said it straight forward.

Jose: "Just take a look at the list and see for yourself. Check under D."

John glanced at his friend before looking at the file, wondering what all this is all about. Deciding to take his advice and opened the file, skimming through the list of the dead. Looking to the Ds, he kept looking through and noticed something off. Waking up, he skimmed through it again to see if he's not feeling delusional. He looked to the Da's and realized there wasn't a single name that says Darby. No June Darby. No Jack Darby. This is a list of the many lives lost in his hometown and his family isn't on it. This could only mean one thing…

John Darby: "My wife's and son's names aren't on this list. They are still alive…"

He had a smile on his face and was pleased with this type of news. Jose looked to him and was glad he showed it to him.

Jose: "Then it looks like you finally got the answer you needed. I'm happy that you have what you are looking for."

John smile soon faded as he soon found out another thing.

John Darby: "But… But, if my family is alive, then what happened to them? Why didn't they call me to let me know that they're safe?"

Jose suddenly realized that he wanted more answers to the remaining questions and could tell that it won't help him much.

Jose: "That I can't explain. I'm pretty sure they are still recovering from their ordeal and are waiting for the right moment to call back. Don't worry too much about that. Just be happy that your family is safe."

To that end, he got up and was ready to leave the bar. But then he turned back and said one more thing.

Jose: "And John."

The Darby turned to him and wondered what he wanted this time.

Jose: "Just be glad that your family is out there. And don't do anything stupid such as searching for them. Cannot let an agent go lone wolf."

John heard that and gave a quick nod for a response.

John Darby: "Thanks Jose. I don't know what I'll do without you."

Jose smirked as he turned and left the bar through the door. At the same time, John turned back and looked to the list of casualties from Jasper. He was amazed that they managed to survive. At least Optimus kept his promise and kept his family safe. But then there's the question of why they haven't responded to him that they were all right? Why didn't they call him that they are all right? There's got to be a reason why. But what? As he was thinking about it, the bartender came back with another shot of his bourbon and placed it on the bar counter.

"Here you go. Another shot of bourbon. Don't drink yourself into a coma, please. Last thing I want is a pass out customer ruining my business."

He walked away while John contemplates what to do to find out if his family is all right. That's when he came up with a really good idea and stood up to turned to the bartender, asking for a quick question.

John Darby: "Hey! Does that pay phone near the restrooms goes outside of Italy? I need to make a collect call."

The bartender looked to him with a bit of worry and decided to answer him.

"Sure, the phones can take long distance calls. Though I don't know if it's all right for you to call in the state you're in."

John groaned as he got up and makes his leave to the payphones. But not before saying a quick little quip.

John Darby: "I'll take my chances…"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Unit: E military base deep in the Nevada dessert, the troops were on high alert as jeeps drove by and choppers flew overhead. Since the attack of Jasper, all military across the states and around the world are on constant watch incase another Con attack in immanent. In one of the administration buildings, General Bryce was in his office while a black and overweight man with black thinning fuzz hair was looking through the most recent of files. That man was Agent William Fowler as he was looking for a candidate to replace him. Since the MECH incident at the Morrison Dam, the military cannot trust Fowler in keeping the Autobots in line after the Jasper Invasion. Which is why they removed him as liaison for Team Prime and is looking for a good enough replacement to take on that role. And that's why Fowler was there; to go over the report files of candidates' top military personnel has personally chosen. The problem is that the applicants that were chosen are either drill sergeants, stuff shirts, or complete rule makers, all of which Fowler doesn't wants as the new liaison. Skimming through each profile report, he shook his head and wasn't pleased.

Agent Fowler: "No… No… No… No, no, no… None of them will do!"

He soon closed the file and tossed on the general's desk. Bryce saw his response and shook his head in defeat.

General Bryce: "Fowler… We've been over this for weeks now and there isn't a decision made from you on who will replace your position as Liaison for Team Prime. The least you can do is make your decision and we'll be done with it."

The former Army Ranger slouched back on the chair and was a little aggravated by the recent profiles.

Agent Fowler: "Sorry Bryce, but the next batch of choices isn't what I'm looking for as the next liaison."

Bryce raised an eyebrow and was a little confused over that.

General Bryce: "Not what you're looking for? Fowler, these candidates are the best of the best, hand picked by our higher ups. They are perfect for the position."

Fowler gave a glare and reminded him of the choice the higher ups made.

Agent Fowler: "These candidates are nothing but a bunch of strict yes men that will keep the Autobots in line. That's not what I want."

General Bryce: "Okay… Then what do you want for a liaison?"

Agent Fowler: "I want someone that understands the situation we are all in. That knows what the Autobots are fighting for and would let them in if needed for a possible Decepticon attack. Not someone that will put the team in the sidelines while our own men get butchered out on the field."

The General bent forward and had his hands on the desk, explaining that it won't do.

General Bryce: "Fowler, these are trying times for all of us. The attack on Jasper has gotten the whole world on edge. The United Nations is hesitant on what to do with the Autobots, whether they will keep them and take them off world. And now the situations has gotten worse for us now that Godfrey and Attinger pulling people into their Autobot hate bandwagon. We have to make sure that we can keep order, and to do that, the Autobots need to get in line. Which is why we need someone by the books to help keep them in check."

Fowler rolled his eyes around and could tell that he's not going to get it.

Agent Fowler: "I get it. You need to get things up to speed and keep the Autobots on their feet. But you need to understand that the Autobots need to protect this planet from the Decepticons and keep the humans safe from the future threats. We can't have humans get involved in their war, just like what happened in Jasper. Besides, we managed to make some strong strides with Team Prime. They managed to save Optimus."

General Bryce: "Who is still recovering after his imprisonment in the Decepticon Fortress."

Agent Fowler: "And we got ourselves a new Prime to aid in the battle."

General Bryce: "That nearly destroyed Sumdac Systems in Detroit. I read the reports, Will. I know that there are some hiccups with the team. Which is why we need a liaison that has to keep the Autobots in line. A liaison who just needs to make sure Team Prime doesn't get into too much trouble. Just like what happened with MECH at the Milton air force base and the Morrison dam."

Fowler was silent over this and could tell that the general is slowly loosing his patience. Sure, the agent made an agreement that the Autobots managed to save Optimus and got a new Prime out of Jack. But what the general said is true. Sure the team needs to be in line now since the Decepticons set up shop in Jasper. They need a liaison, right? But not the liaison that would tell the Autobots what to do and what not to do. Giving it some thought, he looked to the general and spoke to him in an understanding tone.

Agent Fowler: "All right, I get that we need to have the Autobots on their feet. I know that they need a liaison that has to be strict. But I don't want this liaison to be too strict. Allow me to make the choice and not something the higher ups wanted. I promise you that you won't be disappointed."

Bryce looked to him intently and could see that he wanted to do it his way. After days of trying to give him options of a liaison by the higher ups, Fowler wouldn't put his hand down on what they have. Now Fowler wants to find the perfect liaison on his own. Kind of a risky decision, but it would be something the former Army Ranger wants. Giving a bit of a sigh, he decided to let the agent do this.

General Bryce: "Fine, Fowler… If you want to chose your own liaison for Team Prime, that's fine by me. But it needs to be one that's suitable to our higher ups. No exception."

Fowler nodded as he smiled with his own accomplishment.

Agent Fowler: "Thank you, general. I appreciate your decision."

The general though was being strict as he told him that this is going to be a warning.

General Bryce: "For your sakes, Fowler, your choice better be a good one. You're dismissed."

Fowler soon got up and gave a quick salute before leaving the office. Bryce though laid back and was a little upset of this.

General Bryce: "So Will decides that he'll make the choice of Liaison for Team Prime. He better pick someone the higher ups would like. If not, then I'll have to take matters into my hands."

* * *

Back to Fowler, he was walking down the hall to reach his office. All around him, soldiers were passing by saluting the army ranger while other agents stepped back to let Fowler get through. He looked to this and was pleased that he got recognition. After all, he was once a liaison for a small group of Autobots and a dedicated soldier back when he was an Army Ranger. Not to mention that he had to face Godfrey and Attinger in that unexpected interview. Still, his unexpected release gave in some open opportunities to those around him as they might be the next candidates. He, however, wanted to make his decision, since the choices the top officials gave him were a bit strict. He needed someone that cares for the team and understands the situation. He just needs to find someone that shares those traits. Yet giving the short list he has, it wasn't going to be easy. He will not give up though, as he will try his best finding someone suitable for the job. Walking to his office, he opened the door and entered, approaching his desk to start his work.

Agent Fowler: "Okay Will, you can do this. Just find someone that would fit the bill in taking care of robot aliens and you'll be all good. Won't be too hard. Just need to know where to start."

He was going to get started on searching for someone that will make the perfect replacement. But just as he was about to get started, his phone immediately rang and it caught him by surprise. Looking down to the phone, he wondered who is calling at this time. Looking to the phone, he immediately picked it up and responded.

Agent Fowler: "Fowler here."

He waited for someone to respond until he got a robo call on the other end.

 _"Hello. This is a collect call from Italy. Would you like to accept the charges? Press 1 for yes. Press 2 for no."_

Fowler heard that in confusion and wondered what that was all about. Who was calling him from Italy? He doesn't know anyone from there. Does he? Curious, he hit 1 for a yes and waited for the line to click. When it did, he demanded who was calling him.

Agent Fowler: "This is special agent William Fowler of Unit: E. You are calling on a private military line. Identify yourself this instant or I'll be force to-"

Before he could even finish, he could hear a very familiar voice coming from the other end.

John Darby: _"Wow Will, I've been gone for a while and this is how your treat an old friend? I take it that the Decepticon attack is really getting to you."_

Fowler blinked as he soon realized who was on the other line. He soon stood up and responded in a shocking expression.

Agent Fowler: "John? Is that you? Why are you calling me? No, better yet, how were you able to get my number?"

* * *

Back in Italy, John was near the restrooms of the bar with two payphones across the entrance. John was on one of them as he explained how he got on.

John Darby: "I have my connections, not to mention perks of being a former military soldier. You tell them who you are and they will link you to any military personnel with a name and number. But enough about me, let's get down to business. I've seen what happened in my hometown of Jasper, Nevada. Seems like you didn't keep the Autobot/Decepticon war under wraps, huh…"

* * *

Back in the agent's office, he relaxed and could tell why he's calling him. Loosening the collar of his buttoned shirt, he spoke about it.

Agent Fowler: "Yes… Well, we weren't expecting the Cons attacking your town in the first place. They used some alien tech on Cybertron to try and Cyberform the entire planet. If it hadn't been for Optimus's quick thinking, none of us would've survived. Now I'm sorry that you lost your hometown. I was going to contact you personally, but recent events got us all in a loop."

* * *

Back in Italy, John remained calm, as he understood about the delay.

John Darby: "Oh, I fully understand the problem. One quick alien invasion in a small town in the middle of nowhere can really get complicated in the coming weeks. Though I was upset that Jasper is under Con control, there is one thing that I'm concerned about the most."

Agent Fowler: _"And what, pray tale, would that be."_

John took a deep breath as he explained of why he was really calling.

John Darby: "My family…"

* * *

Fowler heard that and was stiff as a board in his office. He wasn't expecting John speaking about his family. Though after continuous weeks of sudden shenanigans, it was going to go down like this. Sweating a little, he asked of that.

Agent Fowler: "Your family…? Heh… What about them?"

He could hear John's voice on the other end and wasn't very pleased by that response.

John Darby: _"Don't play dumb with me, Will. I have gotten the obituary report from an unlikely source. The names of my son and wife weren't on it. Which means that they are still alive."_

The former Army Ranger cleared his throat and tries to level things out.

Agent Fowler: "Yes… Well… Again we were supposed to let you know of that along with Jasper. Giving how busy we are in the US, we tend to forget the little details in life."

John Darby: _"If that's the case, then why didn't my family call me to tell me that they are safe. I know Optimus and the other Autobots were protecting them. There's no way that they would forget about me after the fall of Jasper."_

Fowler heard that and knew that he was starting to get suspicious. But he remained firm as he told him that wasn't the case.

Agent Fowler: "Your family didn't forget you, John. Things were a little… complicated after the attack. But they have been kept safe and moved to a secure location for them to live a 'normal' life."

John Darby: _"Then perhaps I should visit them to see if they're all right."_

Now Fowler was sweating as he knew that John would get really suspicious. After all, he doesn't know that his family turned into Cybertronians, let alone his son the next Prime. If he ever knew about this, it could lead to some complicated situations. So he kept it to himself and told him that now wasn't the time.

Agent Fowler: "Sorry, John. But I can't let you meet them at this time."

John heard that and wasn't pleased by it.

John Darby: _"And why can't I go see them? It's been around a month now. I deserve to see them at this time."_

Fowler though had to keep the whole thing a secret and repeated what he said before.

Agent Fowler: "Like I said before, John, it's complicated."

* * *

John listened to this in the bar and wasn't still happy about it.

John Darby: "Bull shit. I know you are keeping something from me and I want to know why."

Agent Fowler: _"I have bigger problems to worry about now besides your questioning, John. Right now, I have to find a replacement liaison to look after Team Prime."_

John raised an eyebrow and was a little confused by that last statement.

John Darby: "Replacement liaison? What do you mean by that? You're telling me that you got discharged from your position?"

There was bit of silence as Will explained it the best way possible.

Agent Fowler: _"Let's just say that recent events after the Decepticon attacked lead the higher ups questioning my position as liaison. So much so, that it lead to my immediate termination. Now I have to find a suitable replacement that isn't strict to the Autobots. Sadly, strict is what the folks at the Pentagon wants as I'm being persuaded with their choices of candidates."_

John was silent, as he didn't think that Fowler was removed from liaison after the attack of Jasper. Turning his head away, he sighed and kept talking to him.

John Darby: "I'm sorry about what happened to you, Will. I know that your job looking after the Autobots was a big deal for you."

Fowler was silent on the other end and told him that it was all right.

Agent Fowler: _"The fault wasn't your own, John. This was bound to happen when the Cons decided to attack this planet. I'm just glad that I had some good moments at the Autobots liaison. Look, I know it's getting late where you are and I don't want to waste anytime time talking to you. The last thing I want is for the general to bar aide me on long distance calls to former war vets. I'll tell your family you called to see if they're all right. I'll call you back when they responded. Okay?"_

John heard that and nodded silently.

John Darby: "Sure thing, Will. Appreciate it."

He was about to hang up until the former Army Ranger asked for something else.

Agent Fowler: _"And John?"_

He stopped what he's doing and put the phone back to his ear, wondering what he wants this time.

John Darby: "Yeah?"

Agent Fowler: _"Don't do anything too radical. Like searching for your family or something. They are safe with the Autobots. They'll be well protected."_

John was silent as he decided to end the call.

John Darby: "Sure thing, Will. I'll be careful. I'll see you later."

He soon hung up the phone as the change came out the bottom of the machine. He then turned and leaned back at the phone booth and was relieved to hear that his family was safe and the Autobots were watching over them. Still, something was bothering him. Fowler said that they're safe; he didn't explain what really happened to them after Jasper fell. With a long time span of around a month, there were some details that were missed out. Not to mention that his family didn't call him to let him know that they're safe. After a month of waiting, they would've called him after they escaped. None of this doesn't make any sense. What really happened to them? Why haven't he heard from him? What secrets that Fowler is keeping from him? There are so many questions, but not enough answers. Digging under the shirt, he took out the two dog tags on his necklace. One that had his name, and one that belonged to his brother, Kevin before his demise. Starring as Kevin's he asked it like an actual person, wanting to know what to do.

John Darby: "What do you say, Kev? Fowler is keeping something from me and my family never respond to me for reasons that are unknown. It's almost like their hiding the truth and I need to find out what. So what should I do?"

There was an eerie silence around him as he waited for a response from the inanimate object. After what seemed like an eternity, he knew what must be done and kept talking to it.

John Darby: "You're right… If I am to find out what happened to them, I need to get the answers myself. Looks like I have to go off the books."

To that end, he left the bar and was ready to go on his solo mission.

* * *

It was the middle of the night as everyone at the Social Welfare Agency was tucked in for tomorrow with a few individuals working the late shift. One of them is John as he was on his computer in his dorm and was doing some late night research on where his family is located. After the Jasper Invasion, those that escaped and survived the assault have been relocated to different towns, to continue on with their lives. John knew there was a list of people, families and others that were moved to different cities and has access to it. He skimmed through the list to find his family and where they are located. So far, he couldn't get a clue on their actual location of where they have been relocated. He rubbed his chin and was confused by this unexpected event.

John Darby: "Strange that their names aren't on the relocated list, but they aren't on the obituary list either. This doesn't make sense. If their names aren't on obituary list of the Jasper attack, then why they aren't on the relocation list? There's got to be something I'm forgetting."

He soon looked to the obituary list and skimmed through it again. That's when he remembered something.

John Darby: "My wife and son aren't the only humans that know of the Autobots."

He made a quick check on the list and could tell that Miko's and Raf's names aren't on it either. Most likely because they must've gotten out as well before the town was invaded. With that said, he decided to check through the relocation list on the computer and saw their names on it. Checking the sides of the new location next to the name and found the one thing that was similar.

John Darby: "Interesting… Says here that Raf and Miko, along with his family and her host parents, were relocated in Detroit, Michigan. The two also attend school at Charter High School. Hmm… Maybe my family is there as well. It's a long stretch, but that's the only lead I have."

Knowing this, he headed to the phone and started to contact the one person he could trust, his own girl. Waiting for a little bit, he heard Elsa on the line and she sounded tired.

Elsa de Sica: _"Yes? Who's this?"_

John Darby: "Elsa, this is John."

Elsa de Sica: _"John? It's the middle of the night. Why are you calling me? What's the situation?"_

John Darby: "It is something that is of grave importance. I can't speak to you through the phone for it might raise suspicion. I want you to pack up your gear and meet me at the parking lot. Keep away from any security cameras and night guardsmen around the area. I don't want them to get wary on why one of the girls was up at night."

Elsa was silent on the other end, confused on what is really going on. But giving that John sounded serious, she responded the most loyal way.

Elsa de Sica: _"Yes sir. I'll get on it right away."_

John soon hung up the phone and approached the closet, taking out a suitcase. Taking it out, he started to stuff it with a few necessities. Clothes, toiletries, supplies, food, passport, even a few guns just in case. He looked to the supplies needed and was pleased with it so far.

John Darby: "Hmm… That looks like enough. Know this feels like weeks, but anything to see my family again."

He soon turned to the nightstand to see the three pictures sitting on it. One showed him and his brother, Kevin, during their tour in Iraq. The second one shows him with his family before his brother's murder. The last picture shows him, his family, Jack's friends and Elsa, standing there with the Autobots behind them. Picking up the third picture frame, he looked on with his eyes full of both sorrow and hope that he'll find them.

John Darby: "Don't worry June, Jack. I'm coming for you."

He soon placed the photos into the suitcase and closed it up completely. Once he closed it, he placed it on the floor, stick the handle out, and walked straight to the door, leaving his dorm and headed to the parking lot.

* * *

Later on, Elsa stood there in the parking lot and waited for her handler. Next to her is her suitcase that contains all of her clothes and supplies, along with her trusty rifle and pistol. She was waiting for a little bit but she's still confused by what John said. She has no clue as to why John wanted her to head to the parking lot and not get noticed. Or why won't he speak to her about why he's calling her. Still, her best bet is that it could be another mission and they need to head to someplace. But that's in the air, as she has to wait until she knows for sure what's really going on. As she was waiting, she could hear a familiar voice from close by.

John Darby: "Elsa."

The girl soon turns to the direction of the voice and saw John walking towards her. She turned to him and was at attention.

Elsa de Sica: "John? What's going on? Why did I have to avoid detection from the guards and cameras?"

John though looked to her and this time, explained and apologized about it.

John Darby: "I'm sorry about letting you out and about late at night. But we have to leave immediately because I have made an immediate discovery."

Elsa raised an eyebrow and was confused about that.

Elsa de Sica: "Discovery…? What discovery?"

John was silent and wasn't sure if she was ready for the news. Still, she is family, as she needs to know. Taking a deep breath, he told her and she needs to know.

John Darby: "It's my family."

The girl blinked and was a bit shocked by this.

Elsa de Sica: "You're family…? You mean they're alive?"

John nodded and explained.

John Darby: "That's right. Turns out, the Autobots managed to protect my wife and son when my hometown was attacked. They managed to get them out of the town, but…"

Elsa lifted her hand and knew what he was going to say, asking away.

Elsa de Sica: "If your family is alive, why they haven't call you?"

John looked away and answered back.

John Darby: "No clue… But we are about to find out. That's why we're heading back to the states, to find them. Get on the Harley."

Elsa heard that and nodded, heading to the bike and strapped the case in the back. John strapped his as well and the two take a seat. As they got on, Elsa asked something quick.

Elsa de Sica: "Shouldn't we head to the administration office first to let them know that we are leaving and sign the registration papers."

John shrugged it off and starts the engine.

John Darby: "No need, Elsa. This isn't a mission from the agency. This is our own. From now on, we're the lone wolves in this mission. Now let's get going before the rest of the agency finds out we're already gone."

Revving his engine, he got the bike off the spot and drove out of the parking lot and down the path where the gate opened from them to leave. As they were leaving, someone was looking through the window as they were leaving. That person was Jose, as he looked right at the two leaving the agency. Looking on, he wondered if what he did was the right thing by showing John the obituary list. Regardless, John is looking for some closure and Jose should be the one to help him go through it. With a bit of a smile, he wished his friend the best of luck.

Jose: "Godspeed, John. I hope you find you're family in time."

* * *

 **That's the end of chapter three. A bit of a short one, yes, but it will give you clear indication of what John and Elsa are planning, let alone give the Cons a time to shine at the start of the chapter, which is going to happen a couple of times before they could make their appearance known. But that will be for a while. Until then, it's going to be John and Elsa seeking answers. However on the next chapter, we'll be going into a flashback on a mission on the SWA that the two were involved in. It will give fans of the Gunslinger Girl series what I'm showing and will reveal of part of Elsa that no one would expect. Until then, wait and see. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	4. Elsa's New Abilities

**Before I start with chapter four. A special announcement to share for all of you. You know of a little place that's called ComicCon NY. The special event that takes place every year and show case the latest movies, anime, gaming and other trinkets. Well, every year I always go that on one day since all those passes cost large amounts of money. I even do my YouTube tours of the place for those that would never get the chance in getting there. Though I don't have the 2015 video yet. I still have it; I never got around to post it. Maybe next time. Anyways, I did pay for the ticket for Thursday, but a few weeks ago, I got a delivery from YAI, a New York Institute that help people with disabilities, like myself, and it has a three day pass of ComicCon after all my contributions on my first year. So that means that I will be there the whole weekend. That is something awesome! I don't know if anyone reading this story is going to ComicCon. But if any of you do, I hope I'll meet up with some of you.**

 **Back to the last chapter, really good so far. I got four reviews and, unexpectedly, 333 hits. This is pretty rare… Regardless, it is still another successful chapter if you ask me. Course I have to continuously delete the guest reviews that keep demanding me on updating this story on a weekly basis. I swear, whoever is sending this junk has to stop! Still, another successful chapter and hopes that this next one is better.**

 **On this next chapter of the fourth episode of my version of TFP Season 3. Starscream begins the search for answers on how the human companions turned into Cybertonians. Meanwhile, John and Elsa are on the plane and heading to Detroit. But Elsa has a memory on a mission that started with her new type of abilities. What abilities are they? You have to see for yourself.**

 **Chapter Note** **s**

 **This chapter is mostly a flashback, as it would show off when Elsa's new abilities manifested. This said flashback would take place in the Gunslinger Girl episode, 'Simbiosi (Symbiosis)' but with a different take, be that it ended with Angelica causing problems. I would like to mix it up for a bit and make it all about Elsa and the start of her new abilities. Trust me, you'll see it when I write it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girls.**

* * *

Chapter Four: Elsa's New Abilities

In the skies above the states, it was quiet with a few of clouds in the sky. Just then, the Nemesis went through a huge cloud and hovered straight forward to reach Tennessee. Inside the ship, Starscream looked on at a distance as he was contemplating on the situation he has. Megatron's strict orders are that he wanted to investigate the location of the newly created energon signatures and come back with evidence. If he didn't come back with any evidence, he won't come back at all. Would that include Knockout or Soundwave too? Knockout is a medical professional and Soundwave is Megatron's highest intelligent officer by his side. Surely, he's not thinking of kicking them out as well. Surely, he's not thinking about that. After all, it was Starscream that didn't tell Megatron about the energon signatures before the Cybertronian teens came into Darkmout and caused all sorts of problems. But he knows damn well that he doesn't want to be exile like last time. That same won't happen to them, right? As he was thinking about that, he heard Knockout approach and told him something.

Knockout: "Commander Starscream. We are approaching the state of Tennessee. Estimated time of arrival, twenty Earth minutes."

Scream heard that and gave a deep sigh.

Starscream: "Good… The sooner we get there, the sooner we find the evidence necessary on how those human pests turned into us."

Knockout could hear his worry and asked about it.

Knockout: "Is something wrong, Starscream. You seem a little uptight already."

The commander sighed and explained what he's going through right now.

Starscream: "Sorry about that, it's just that what Megatron said to me. That I won't be able to come back if I don't bring in the evidence. Don't want to be exile like what happened last time."

The doctor heard this and reminded him on why he was exiled in the first place.

Knockout: "With all due respect, commander. But the reason why you were exiled is because Airachnid left you for scrap and you had no choice but to side with the Autobots to save your own aft. Not to mention that you gave the Autobots Intel of the spacebridge we were constructing, let alone lure the Autobots into that fight between Megatron and that Insecticon, hoping to kill off everyone. Then there was the time you cloned yourself and tried to use them in killing Megatron the cowardly way. Then there was the time that you took the Apex Armor during our scavenger hunt for Iacon relics."

Scream sighed and knew that he was right over all of this.

Starscream: "Yes, well you do make some very valid points. However, despite all that you said, I was hoping that I would try to get back into the Decepticon fold, which was why I presented our gracious leader with the Omega Keys. Though the interrogation was an… uncomforting experience, I was giving a second chance within the armada. Now though, giving what transpired at Darkmount weeks ago, it seems that Megatron is questioning my role as second in command. But then, I also fear that maybe the same thing will happen to us, along with Soundwave."

The doctor looked on with blinking optics and didn't expect that coming.

Knockout: "Oh please… You really think that our lord and master would throw us out as well with you. Soundwave have been the most loyal and trustworthy soldier for the Decepticon cause since day one. And I personally have the skills and speed necessary to help aid those in need."

Starscream groaned and turned to him and let him remember of what transpired a while ago.

Starscream: "Need I remind you of what happened during my interrogation? That he saw you and me form a cue while Megatron was still in intensive care. Where we state to Soundwave that we had to pull the plug on his life support, even though his mind is still active. He was upset over the fact that we plot that and you nearly got a tongue lashing."

Knockout was silent and vent out that incident pretty well.

Knockout: "Aw yes… How could I forget that? I swear that Megatron gave me that look every time he passed by. I swore, that stare give me the creeps."

Starscream approached him and explained of what was bound to happen.

Starscream: "Don't you see the situation that we are all in. Megatron is questioning my position since those neutral kids made their appearance. Now here I am, looking for any answers as to why they have become us in the first place. If I don't come back with any evidence of how they came to be, then my second resurgence wouldn't last as long as before. Not to mention that he will kick you out too due to our little cue not to long ago.

Knockout gulped a little and knew that part is true.

Knockout: "Well then… I suppose that we should really start the search as soon as we get to the first location. Though I don't know if we can find anything there."

Starscream looked on ahead and worried about this as well.

Starscream: "You and me both… We have to find some sort of evidence if we are to comfort Megatron's worry. Even if we don't find some, there will be more within our next location. And if we can't find anything, then Primus help us all."

Soon enough, the Nemesis flew away and went into another cloud, nearing their destination.

* * *

In another part of the sky, a United Airlines plane was flying over the clouds and was halfway to its destination as well. Inside the plane, the passengers were doing their thing, whether it be reading, watching an in-flight movie, or taking a rest while the stewardesses were handing out drinks and snack to those you need it. On the speakers, the captain was giving out an announcement.

 _"Attention all passengers. This is your captain speaking. We are cursing over an altitude of 39,000 feet and are on schedule in arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Detroit Michigan. Our arrival will be three hours in, so sit back and relax until announcements are made to make out descent."_

Down at the left side of the plane, two individuals were sitting by as one was sleeping while the other was looking out at the window. The person sleeping is John, as he needed to rest up before the reaching Detroit. The other looking out the window is Elsa as she looked down at the states and couldn't believe that this is her second time reaching the states. Giving that the first time was a rocky start; she can now get a chance to see Jack and Arcee again, if they could. Though getting to the airport was a bit of a tassel, giving that security checked their languages for weapons and John had to present his ID to them to let them know that he's on an 'assignment'. Yet despite the hiccup, they managed to get into the plane and are on their way to Detroit.

Though giving that she would see the Autobots again, she does wanted to speak to them about something that's bothering her. Ever since she came back from Jasper, there have been some changes in her body. Bizarre changes… And it keeps manifesting in herself as the days progressed. Looking to her hand, she flexed it open and closes a couple of times, as she knew that that's when the changes start. It happened after she came back, when she was on a mission with the other girls that is of vast importance.

* * *

 _Flashback…_

 _The sun was slowly setting within the Italian mountains as a small group of choppers flew overhead. In those choppers, members of the SWA Section 2 flew in a formation as they were approaching their target. Inside one of the choppers, Hillshire, Marco, and John were in the middle seat while Triella, Angelica, and Elsa were sitting in the back with their weapons armed and ready. From what this mission was about, a small group of Republican Faction terrorists had kidnapped the daughter of Senator Viste and hold her hostage. But the daughter was in fact Claes posing as the decoy. The plan is storm their hideout and take out the cell within the Faction. The problem is that they couldn't get a lock in her tracer as it is blocked off by poor reception. Fortunately, they got tip from a woman that Claes is located in a villa within the mountains, including the sketch of the area. Knowing this is their one shot; they took off and headed straight to Claes's location. As they were nearing the halfway point, Hillshire started to give out the orders while Marco checked the report._

 _Hillshire: "Okay, we're going to approach the target location from the mountains on the southeast side. We'll move out in teams- Jose and Henrietta, Jean and Rico. You two teams will engage the front entrance and draw as much fire from the terrorists as you can that direction. My team will enter from the terrace. We'll take the rest of them in the villa by surprise._

 _The rest of the trip was quiet as they were heading straight towards this villa. Elsa looked to her rifle and loaded it up to begin with the mission. But when she looked to Angelica, it didn't feel like she was focused on the mission. And why would she? Ever since she botched up on training, there were concerns on taking her on missions, including one as vital as this one. Still, she seemed determined to prove something and would do anything to achieve it. Elsa however couldn't sit this one down as she spoke to her of this._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Angelica, is everything okay."_

 _Angelica turned to Elsa and could see the worry on her face. So she cover it up as much as possible._

 _Angelica: "I'm fine, Elsa. There's nothing to worry about."_

 _The girl though didn't take it likely as she kept bashing her._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Nothing to worry about? Angelica, you left the medical wing of the agency and you already screwed up on your training. Now you're here on a mission to not only wipe out a cell of the RF, but also to rescue Claes? I fear that this is too soon for you to get back in the field. Maybe if you sit this out while Triella and I handle this-"_

 _Angelica still didn't want that as she said that she'd do it._

 _Angelica: "But I have to help out. I might be a little rusty, but I have to succeed within the agency. And… I have to prove to Marco I am a reliable soldier."_

 _She looked up to see Marco still looking into the report. She could see he's busy and lowered her head in shame. Elsa saw this and could tell that she wanted to make her handler proud._

 _Elsa de Sica: "So, that's what it's all about. You wanted to impress Marco. I could imagine what you've been going through with the two of you. What with the strict training, the mental abuse, it was as if he's regarding you as ball and chain to his leg. And to think you two had a thing long time back._

 _Angelica sighed and knew that she had a point. Once the two had a connection at the start of Section 2. Now it's as if he's distancing himself with her. She even fears that she would useless to him. Elsa though wanted to be kind to her as she placed her hand on her shoulder and eased her up._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Don't worry, I'm sure that you will do a good job. You already got me and Triela by your side and we'll always watch your back if you ever need help."_

 _Angelica looked to her and have a small, yet warm smile. As that conversation was over, Hillshire told everyone that they're landing._

 _Hillshire: "We're approaching the LZ behind the villa. Prepare to disembark."_

 _The choppers then split into two groups as the one with Jose/Henrietta and Jean/Rico team are in. Meanwhile, the rest of the choppers flew on ahead and reached the area close to the villa._

* * *

 _Five minutes later, the other half of the choppers made it to the high point of a flat mountain that's over a modern house with two floors, an attic, and an outside balcony that hangs on the side of the mountain. The choppers made a stop in the air, as Section 2 soldiers dropped their cables and slide down them to the ground. One of the choppers had the girls and their handlers as they went down the cables as well. As soon as they all made landfall, the group ran down the wooded area to reach the edge. During the run, John gave out the orders to the soldiers._

 _John Darby: "All right, the three of us will head straight to the villa and come down on the roof for a surprise attack. You boys will be on standby incase things go South. I'll contact you incase that will happen._

 _The two soldiers nodded as they slowed themselves to a stop a few feet from the edge of the cliff. When the three-fratello teams reach the edge, they set up their rock climbing gear and made their descent down the mountains and over the villa. Elsa, Triella, and Angelica came down first followed by John, Hillshire, and Marco. The girls managed to land gently on the roof as they carefully walked on the roof. But giving that there is still wet snow on it, it could get a little slippery. Angelica learned that the hard way as she slipped on the snow and was falling down the roof. She thought she was done for as Triela and Elsa saw this and quickly grabbed her by her wrists. The girl took a bit of a breather as she looked up to see the two holding on to her tightly._

 _Triela: "Angelica – It's okay. Just remain calm. We got you."_

 _They slowly lifted her up as she climbed back up to the top of the roof. She took a quick breather and was lucky that she was saved in a matter of moments. Looking up to the two, she smiled and thanked them for the save._

 _Angelica: "Thank you for saving me. I thought I was a goner."_

 _The two nodded as Elsa told her what she said before._

 _Elsa de Sica: "I told you, if you need help, we'll be watching your back."_

 _Angelica smiled wide and was pleased with the save. But then it all changed when she hear the voice of her handler from behind._

 _Marco: "Angelica!"_

 _She soon turned to him and asked in the most respectable way._

 _Angelica: "Yes, sir?"_

 _Marco gave her a sternful look and told her to be careful."_

 _Marco: "Watch your footing. One slip up and this mission fail if one of the terrorists saw you. Understand?"_

 _Angelica could see him getting angry as she tries not to get on his bad side._

 _Angelica: "Yes sir."_

 _Elsa saw this and could tell that Marco has mistreated his poor girl from some time. During her recovery, Marco was being too strict to her and treats her like she was nothing. She knew that the two were the first fratello team within Section 2. They had the experience. But lately, it's as though Marco doesn't want to be with her. John could see it too as he knew something was up between the two. As they were witnessing it, Hillshire got contact from Jean as he asked where they were._

 _Jean: **"We're in position- what's your status?"**_

 _He contacted him and told him they are set._

 _Hillshire: "We're on the roof now, moving into position."_

 _Jean: **"We'll move in three minutes. Synchronize your watch."**_

 _Hillshire: "Understood. Stand by."_

 _He soon started to set his watch to three minutes and told everyone to do the same._

 _Hillshire: "The Jean/Rico and Jose/Henrietta teams are in place. We have three minutes to prepare the attack. Triela, Angelica, Elsa, get the gear set up at the other end to descend into the main floor. We'll take them by surprise while the other half of the team keeps the terrorists outside busy. Move, we already wasted time."_

 _The girls heard the order and hurried to the other end to set up the rock climbing gear strapped to their backpacks while Hillshire kept watching. Meanwhile, Marco and John looked on as Elsa's handler started to speak about it._

 _John Darby: "So… Mind telling me what's gotten into you?"_

 _Marco looked to him and was confused._

 _Marco: "What are you talking about?"_

 _John gave a sighed and explained about it._

 _John Darby: "You and Angelica. You have been really distant with her as of late and you never gave her any respect. I never seen you act this way before with her and it's bother me. What's the deal?"_

 _Marco was very silent over this and new he's getting really suspicious. He never thought that someone like him would get involved in personal issue. Looking on ahead to see Angelica setting the equipment, he decided to turn back and walked away from the set up. John could see him leaving and tried to stop him._

 _John Darby: "Marco! Don't walk away from me. I want answers and I want it now!"_

 _As soon as he was at a far away distance, he decided to let him in on something his own girl doesn't know about._

 _Marco: "It's her conditioning…"_

 _John stopped where he was and was silent after what he heard. Marco then continued with explanation without Angelica hearing in._

 _Marco: "It's getting worse… Dr. Bianchi had told me that her mind is starting to loose itself as she couldn't remember much within the agency. She couldn't even remember the story I gave her when we met. It has become a difficult few weeks for me."_

 _John heard this and knew what he was talking about. He knew as much as the other handlers that every girl goes through a brainwashing technique known as conditioning where all memories of their past lives were removed. But it also shortens the girl's lifespan, as they might not live past their teens, if not less._

 _John Darby: "I see… So she's forgetting the early life through the agency. That's quite an unexpected event. But it seems that she's working hard. Even if she screwed up in practice, she could still work through it no matter what."_

 _Marco though didn't finish with what he said and turned to the Darby for more information._

 _Marco: "You don't understand. The conditioning is shortening her lifespan. If she's starting to forget of early life in the SWA, then it could be a matter of time before her services are deemed obsolete and she would spend her final time in a hospital bed with very little memory. I can't… I can't take that."_

 _He turned his head away and he could be holding back tears at this moment. John could see his anguish and got why he's upset over all of this._

 _John Darby: "I get it. You are closely tied to her. You and Angelica were the first fratelo team when Section 2 started out. I understand that what she's going through right now is eating you alive. But you can't just do what you are doing, giving her the cold shoulder and treat her like she's useless."_

 _Marco heard him and turned to ask him about that._

 _Marco: "And what do you want me to do? What can I do if Angelica can't perform at her best?"_

 _John gave it some thought until he asked him what he could do._

 _John Darby: "Just treat her as something special. Give her gifts. Anything that will make her happy! Even if you think that her lifespan is short, at least she knows that you care for her."_

 _Marco heard this and gave it some thought. Sure he sort of treated Angelica like nothing but a tool, instead of a sweet girl he treated her from the beginning. Maybe John does have a point over this, as he can't treat her very badly. Maybe a gift should work, but what? Perhaps a dog that was similar to the one she used to have pre Agency days?_

 _As that conversation was going on, the girls and finishing in setting up the equipment to dive down and deliver a surprise attack. Elsa was nearly finished with her gear and was getting herself ready to attack. Just as she was finishing up, something was bothering her eyes and rubbed it off. She had been getting that recently ever since she got back from Jasper with her handler. Her first thought was the after effect from the Dark Energon blast Megatron tried to give from John, until she saved him and pay the price herself. If it wasn't for the Autobots in administering normal energon to counter the spread, then she wouldn't of survived it. Still, this after effect is bothering her so much that she wouldn't speak to anyone, not even her own handler. Of course, that didn't effect her performance is it usually happens on a few occasions. But when she opened her eyes, she saw something that caught her off guard. For what she was looking at wasn't much of the world around her, but now covered in a blue hue with the skeletons of the handlers and the exo skeletons of the girls. She looked on and was completely confused with what is going on. In fact, she didn't even notice her eyes glowing a blue hue on the irises._

 _Elsa de Sica: "What the…"_

 _She soon looked down and noticed what appears to be the inside of the actual villa and saw multiple men in there on constant watch. But when she looked at the second floor, she could see a young girl reading, but she had an exoskeleton within her body. She could tell that was Claes as she does enjoy reading. Blinking she wondered how she managed to obtain that type of ability. But as she was wondering about it…_

 _John Darby: "Elsa…? Elsa!"_

 _She soon snapped out of it as her eyes returned to normal and she can see everything normal again. Looking up, she saw John standing there with a bit of worry._

 _John Darby: "Is everything all right. You spaced out for a moment there."_

 _She could tell that John was getting suspicious over what's happening to her. Clearing her throat she decided to keep it a secret while explaining what she saw._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Sorry, sir. I was just trying to focus as of late. In fact, I do believe that Claes is located in the second floor of the villa."_

 _There was a bit of quiet as everyone heard her on that one._

 _Marco: "Hold on… Claes is at the second floor of this building? How do you know of that?"_

 _Elsa could tell that they were starting to ask questions and had to keep it to herself._

 _Else de Sica: "I just know is all. There is no way that she would be in the main floor with all the guards on watch."_

 _The three handlers looked to each other and could tell that Claes is still in there, but finds it to be a bit of a risk._

 _Marco: "This could be risky to send out girls to rescue her."_

 _John rubbed his chin and thought it was a good enough opportunity._

 _John Darby: "Hmm… Maybe… But if Claes is in the second floor, then we should stage a rescue if we can."_

 _He turned to Hillshire and asked him of that._

 _Hillshire: "What do you say, Hillshire. Should we go an save Claes?"_

 _Hillshire gave that a bit of thought and decided to stick to the plan._

 _Hillshire: "Our goal is to secure the first floor before proceeding to the second. We need to remove the terrorist cell before proceeding with the rescue."_

 _John heard this and wasn't pleased with the news._

 _John Darby: "You're sure this is a good idea. Claes could be in grave danger and could need our help."_

 _Hillshire then reminded him of what Claes was like before._

 _Hillshire: "Claes had military training before. Even if she doesn't have her handler, she still knows how to handle herself. She'll be all right."_

 _John gave a sigh and knows that the agency wants to focus on the task at hand. However, what they didn't know is that someone was listening in on conversation. That person is Angelica as she heard what is going on. When she heard that Claes is in the second floor, maybe there is a chance to save her. After all, if she saved her, maybe Marco can respect her as a partner. It could be perfect for her. As the conversation was finished, they soon heard sniper fire in the distance. That means that the attack has started as the team of Jose/Henrietta and Jean/Rico began the first shots. The other three turned to see the attack happen and knew that it was time._

 _John Darby: "Sounds like the three minutes are up. All right girls, let's crash the party! Prepare to drop on my mark!"_

 _All three girls heard this and nodded as they started to get on their cables and made the decent to the edge of the top windowsill. Once their feet touch the border, they waited for John to give out the attack. John turned to see Jose and Henrietta approaching the entrance to the Villa and knew that more guards will come and overrun them. With that, he called it out._

 _John Darby: "Mark!"_

 _Just like that, the three jumped off the edge like flew backwards, coming back down like an actual swing. Holding their rifles with their other hands, they fired away at the glass and cracked it enough to smash right through it, catching the RF terrorists off guard. They soon immediately land in a kneeling position and emptied the rest of the clips, laying waste to the terrorists in the room. Once the room was cleared, John, Marco, and Hillshire came down and landed behind the girls, looking at the destruction they have done._

 _John Darby: "Now that's what I call crashing a party."_

 _Suddenly, the lights flickered until the entire place went dark. But that didn't stop them as Hillshire gave out the orders._

 _Hillshire: "All right, let's split up. John and Elsa, you secure the western end. Marco and Angelica, you are with me and Triella in the east. Let's clear out the first floor."_

 _Everyone nodded as they headed to two directions. John and Elsa headed to the left and entered the hallway. When they got there, a bunch of doors opened up and a bunch of terrorists came out with some covering fire with pistols and rifles. Both John and Elsa got to cover on both sides and decided to blind them. Taking his flash bang out, John armed it and tossed it to the middle of the hall. That soon ignited and blinded the group as the stagger out of cover and tired to get their sights back. Once they were blinded, the two got out of cover and ran on ahead, shooting and anything that is out. They even check each room the terrorists were in and make sure that they're clear. Once the hallway is checked out, the approached the double doors that lead to a lounge/bar area. Elsa kicked down the door as the two sprinted in. But then, more terrorists came out of the bar counter on the inside and fired away while a few more rushed in and brought down a bunch of tables for additional cover along with behind the pool table. The two saw this and ran for cover as well as bullets flew all around them. They immediately took cover from behind the sofa as bullets sprayed over their heads. Elsa checked on the opposition and could see how many there are. She soon got back in cover as more bullets whizzed by and told John of the situation._

 _Elsa de Sica: "There are twelve targets on the other side. Armed with MP40 rifles. This could be a difficult group to beat."_

 _John turned to her and gave her a quick smirk._

 _John Darby: "Nothing's too difficult with us involved."_

 _He soon took a smoke grenade out and told Elsa what to do._

 _John Darby: "Okay, I'm going to toss the grenade to the middle of the room. Once it engulfs the room, we split up and take them down. You take the six of the right. I'll handle the left side."_

 _Elsa nodded and reloaded her rifle to fire back. She soon turned to him and wished him luck._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Be careful out there."_

 _John gave a quick nod and did the same._

 _John Darby: "You too."_

 _Arming the grenade, he tossed it over the sofa as is landed and rolled to the middle of the lounge. It soon exploded and spewed out smoke that engulfed the room. The terrorists saw this and were completely blinded by all the smoke._

 _"Hey! What's the deal?! I can't see a thing!"_

 _The terrorists were all too distracted, letting themselves out in the open. Big mistake as John and Elsa were ready to take them out._

 _John Darby: "Ready…? Let's go!"_

 _They all immediately got out of cover and ran in two separate directions to get to their targets. Elsa went to the right side and took down six terrorists with ease with her rifle. John took the left side and used his pistol to take a couple of headshots on the remaining terrorists. So far, he already took out four of them and moved on to the next two. But before he could really fire on them, his right knee buckled as he stumbled on the ground. Getting into a kneeling position, he checked his brace and noticed that his knee was down. This is because when he lost Kevin in Baghdad, the explosion pierced his knee with sharp metal and left an infection in the muscles. The doctor managed to remove the infection, but his knee had very little of that muscle as there almost nothing but bone on it. He knew that if he kept pushing his limits in battle, that knee of his would buckle from the strain. He knew that the brace is the only thing that keeps his knee in check. How foolish he was in thinking he could pull this off. He struggled to get up to get back into the fight. That was into two rifles were pointed at him and he looked to see the two terrorists starring them coldly in the eyes._

 _"Huh… Smart move you pull there, pal. But next time you try and pull that off, make sure you don't trip."_

 _The two pulled the triggers and were about to fire. Just then…"_

 _Elsa de Sica: "And you should make sure that he's not the only one in the room."_

 _The two heard that and turned to see who said it. That is when Elsa rushed in and fired her remaining clip to the two remaining terrorists. One of them got the most damage as was wiped out easily as the other using the person in front of them as a human shield. By the time to person fell, he took his pistol out and was going to fire on Elsa. Elsa used the rifle to finish him off. But by the time she pulled the trigger, she was shooting nothing but blanks and the clip was completely empty. Knowing this, she lifted her arm up to deflect the shots that were heading to her face. A few of them hit the arm and penetrated the skin. Once she was close enough, she used her rifle as a bat and whack the pistol off his hand. The guard got back and took his switchblade out and strike at the girl. Elsa quickly ducked down and avoided the hit as she used her arms to block off that attack and arm drag him. The moment he was on the floor, she took her own pistol and shot him right in the face, killing him instantly. Once the battle was over, Elsa turned to her handler and checked on him._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Sir, are you okay?"_

 _John got up and checks on his leg. Once he got the feeling back, he told her that it was all right._

 _John Darby: "I'm fine… My knee was a little sore and I have to get the feeling back."_

 _Elsa looked to him and knew he's playing around._

 _Elsa de Sica: "John, I know that your knee is starting to act up because the lack of muscle in the knee bone. You have to relax on this a little otherwise you would wound up in a wheel chair."_

 _John gave a bit of a sigh and could tell that she was telling the honest truth._

 _John Darby: "Sigh… Guess I can't keep everything from you, my girl. I suppose my knee injury does tend to keep me out of the battlefield. I don't feel like keeping myself in the sidelines. I really need to help out much, otherwise I don't like to be on standby."_

 _Elsa was starting to sigh and could tell he really needs to help._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Listen, I know that you really need to be a big help. But you can't push yourself too much. Just let me be your legs and I'll aid you no matter what I can."_

 _John just smiled and was pleased with what she said. Sure John wants to assist Elsa, but it would be rather difficult knowing that his damaged knee would give way, it would be really complicate his own performance. So he nodded and listened to her well._

 _John Darby: "Okay Elsa, whatever you say… I'll let you be my legs for a little while. Still, don't like to be stuck in a crutch. Come on, this area of the house is secured. Let's go meet up with the others. We don't want to keep them waiting."_

 _Elsa nodded as they left the lounge/bar to rejoin with the others._

* * *

 _At the same time, two other handler teams were on the east and were handling the rest of the terrorists in the main floor. A few of them were hiding behind the doors to get into cover while firing their pistols at them. Triela and Angelica were behind cover while the handlers were next to them. Hillshire looked down to his girl and nodded as a gesture to engage. Triela turned and knew what he was referring to, turning to Angelica and gestured her to attack. She saw that gesture and made a nod of approval. Waiting for the terrorists to stop firing, they got out of cover and shoot away. Though the terrorists were hiding behind the opened doors, that didn't stop them as they shoot away at the doors themselves. Multiple bullet holes penetrated through the door and screams were heard from behind. In a matter of moments, bodies of men fell and blood was spilled. But as that was over, one of the guard got out of the door, who was hiding behind one of the men and pointed his pistol at them. But just as he was about to pull the trigger, he was immediately shot in the head and was down in mere seconds. Standing there is Marco as he had his pistol up and had a cold look to his face. Once that was over with, Hillshire checked on the hall and proclaimed that it was taken care of._

 _Hillshire: "Clear. Let's regroup with John and Elsa."_

 _The two groups walked down the hall and have now reached the main entryway with a staircase that goes to the second floor. Both girls ran up ahead to wait for the others as Angelica saw the steps and knew that Claes is up there and needs to be rescued. Seeing this, she turned to the steps and ran right up it. Triela saw her coming up and told her to stop._

 _Triela: "Angelica! Where are you going?!"_

 _She, though, didn't listen as she reached up the second floor to save one of their own. Triella looked on with worry while Hillshire and Marco joined her and noticed that the other girl isn't with her._

 _Hillshire: "Triela, what's up?"_

 _Triela heard her handler and turned to explain the situation._

 _Triela: "Angelica took off upstairs!"_

 _The two heard that and was shocked by that news. Marco especially as he was completely disgusted by what his girl was doing. Soon enough, John and Elsa has reached the main entrance and saw the others in there waiting for them, not realizing what really happened._

 _John Darby: "Sorry we took long. We got caught with a complication in one of the rooms. What's going on?"_

 _He soon looked around and noticed one person isn't around and turned to Hillshire to ask him about that._

 _John Darby: "And where's Angelica?"_

 _The group was extremely quiet as Hillshire answered his question._

 _Hillshire: "She went on ahead upstairs without getting any orders."_

 _John heard that and was surprised that she would do that._

 _John Darby: "What? She went up one her own without us? What is she thinking?!"_

 _Marco then turned to John and was just as upset as John._

 _Marco: "I could agree with you, John. Angelica has become reckless as of late during training, so reckless that she almost damaged her leg. Why is she jumping the gun without my approval?"_

 _The three thought this through and wonder why she could take such a risk. Elsa though was curious as well and wanted to know how she's disobeying the agency's orders. But after a few short seconds, she soon remembered what she said before the mission. That whatever happened to her eyes, she could see Claes in the second floor. That's when she told her handler about it, Angelica must of heard her say that. Realizing it, her eyes grew wide and knew the mistake she made._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Oh no…"_

 _John heard her and turned to ask what she meant._

 _John Darby: "What is it Elsa."_

 _She turned to the Darby and explained about why Angelica heading upstairs._

 _Elsa de Sica: "I said that Claes is on the second floor. My guess is that Angelica must've heard me and went upstairs to save her."_

 _They all heard her and knew this was bad._

 _Marco: "That idiot! What is she thinking going up there on her own to save one of our own? There's no telling how many RF terrorists are up there."_

 _John thought of that too and knew this was very bad. Giving Angelica's behavior, she could get herself killed in the battlefield. She is in need of an assist and fast. Turning to Elsa, he asked for a quick favor._

 _John Darby: "Elsa!"_

 _Elsa heard him and knew what he wanted._

 _Elsa de Sica: "On it!"_

 _She then ran up ahead and had her rifle steady for a battle. By the time she was upstairs, he took a breather and hope she can save Angelica._

 _John Darby: "Please don't get killed…"_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Angelica was up on the second floor and is in search for Claes. She checked each room with her rifle and didn't see her yet. She also didn't see any terrorists yet either, so it's safe to say that all of them were killed. Still, she has to be alert at all times. The safety of Claes depends on it. Running down the hall, she noticed a door that was completely opened. She was very curious about it and decided to check and see if Claes was in there. She quickly got behind the wall near the doorframe and waited for the right moment to strike. Taking her flash bang out, she armed it and threw it into the open doorway. When the bang ignited, she got into the open pointed her rifle at whatever there is. When the smoke cleared, she could see that it was empty, with the exception of the one guard that looked knocked out. Could it be Claes that made an escape? She couldn't get her answer as she heard a voice from behind._

 _"Don't move!"_

 _Angelica froze in fear as she soon realized that she had made a foolish mistake._

 _"You brought this all on yourself."_

 _She closed her eyes and believes that she has gratefully failed her fratello. Soon enough, she heard the sound of rifle fire from behind. But for some strange reasons, she didn't feel any bullets hitting her back. Opening her eyes, she quickly turned around and noticed that the person that was going to shoot her was dead with a pool of blood around him. She was curious and wondered how he got killed quickly. That's when she heard a familiar voice from close by._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Funny… I was going to say the same thing to you."_

 _Angelica soon turned to the direction of the voice and saw Elsa de Sica standing there with her rifle pointed to where the shooter was and the nozzle smoking. She blinked her eyes for a little bit and was surprised that she was there._

 _Angelica: "Elsa…?"_

 _She soon turned to Angelica and was a little irate about it all._

 _Elsa de Sica: "What the hell were you thinking, Angelica?! Running on ahead without waiting for the others. Not realizing what other potential threats are out there. Are you really trying to get yourself killed after returning from recovery?"_

 _Angelica stood there a little sheepish and explained her reason._

 _Angelica: "Sorry, Elsa, but I heard you say that Claes is in this floor. I had to go up there and save her… And… I only wanted to make Marco proud of me."_

 _Elsa sighed and knew why she was really doing it. To keep her fratello happy. So she decided to give her a bit of advice._

 _Elsa: "Look, I know you have to prove to Marco that you are not the weak link you think you are. But you can't just jump on ahead into danger without knowing any consequences. You have to follow orders and stay with your team. That's how Marco would be proud of you."_

 _Angelica listened in and could understand now that she should at least listen to him and not barge into battle. So she gave a quick nod and decided to let it all slide._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Come on, we have to find Claes since we're already at the second floor."_

 _As soon as she said it, she could hear a voice from not far from her._

 _Claes: "Don't bother. I'm already here."_

 _The two looked to the other end of the hall and saw a girl around their age with long blue hair and was holding a staff for the fireplace. They knew it was Claes, but she didn't have her glasses on, preferably because she took them off to fight. The two were relieved that she was safe as Angelica had a warm smile to her face._

 _Angelica: "Claes, you're all right."_

 _Claes remained silent as she walked right past her to get back to the room she was in._

 _Claes: "Of course I'm fine. Just because I'm no longer in active duty, doesn't mean I can't defend myself."_

 _By the time she entered the room, she picked up her glasses and put them on. As she was doing that, Elsa spoke to her of the situation._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Sorry that we took so long in retrieving you. You're tracer had gone offline when you reached the mountains and we couldn't find you from there. I hope you didn't get bored of all of this."_

 _Claes turned to her friend and told her that it's nothing to worry about while picking up her book._

 _Claes: "It's all right, I've been reading the whole time anyways. Nothing else to do when you are held hostage. Besides, this book of agriculture has given me new ideas on what to do with my garden."_

 _Elsa smirked and figured that she was thinking of more gardening tips. When she left the room, the three then returned to the others that were waiting for them downstairs. As they were walking, Claes asked if the others were around._

 _Claes: "Where are the others? Are you two the only ones?"_

 _Elsa shook her head and explained what really happened._

 _Elsa de Sica: "No, fortunately, John and Marco are down stairs with Hillshire and Triella while the teams of Jose/Henrietta and Jean/Rico handle the opposition outside. We were suppose to regroup and await further order in rescuing you, but a certain girl just couldn't wait and decided to rush in and save you to make her fratelo happy."_

 _Angelica turned to her and was still being sympathetic over the whole deal._

 _Angelica: "I'm sorry for that, but I had my reason."_

 _Elsa turned to her and explained that it was still a stupid decision on her behalf._

 _Elsa de Sica: "That doesn't mean you have to rush on in without getting orders. You're lucky you didn't get shot, otherwise we would've had our first casualty within Section 2."_

 _Claes heard the argument and decided to break it up._

 _Claes: "Okay… I get it. There was a little mess up within the team and it nearly cost us one of our own. I get the confusion. But everything is all right now and no one was hurt. Let's just get downstairs to meet up with the others."_

 _The three kept walking down the hall as Elsa asked Claes something._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Hey Claes? I was wondering, were there any more terrorists on the second floor then those two? This place seems a little quiet then normal."_

 _Claes shook her head and didn't know any._

 _Claes: "Hmm… Unfortunately, no. They had me blindfolded on the way here and placed me in that room. One the person kept watch on me and other one bringing people in were all I know. Though they did say that the boss is up here somewhere. Though I don't know if he was there for a visit or he's here to begin with."_

 _Elsa heard this and gave it some thought. There was a leader in the villa? That seems highly unlikely. After all, they cleared the entire house and it didn't look like that they had a leader. Unless one of the people they took out was the leader and got caught in the crossfire. But unless he's somewhere upstairs… They were walking past the door, something wasn't feeling right. Suddenly, she felt a presence that is bad. Realizing the trouble, she got behind the two and pushed the two girls out of the way._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Watch out!"_

 _She managed to save the two, only to have the door busted open and something big pushed her through. The two landed on the floor and were a little dazed by the push. Turning their backs around, they saw Elsa getting pinned on the wall by a huge beefy guy with suit and vest with parting hair and fiery brown eyes filled with anger. Elsa was struggling to get out and was trying her best in escaping. The two were surprised by this as Claes got up and decided to help out._

 _Claes: "Hang on, Elsa!"_

 _Angelica get up too and was ready to help out as well._

 _Angelica: "We'll help!"_

 _But Elsa denied their help to told them to get going._

 _Elsa de Sica: "No! Don't worry about me! I'll take care of him! Just get Claes to safety! Now!"_

 _The two were hesitant, as they don't know what to do. But Angelica understood the situation as she grabbed Claes's arm and told her to keep going._

 _Angelica: "Come on! Let's get out of here!"_

 _Claes looked to her and argued about it._

 _Claes: "We can't leave her behind. We have to help her!"_

 _Angelica told her that she got it._

 _Angelica: "Elsa can handle him. Now come on!"_

 _Claes was quiet and decided to leave her be and handle it herself. So the two ran away as they headed on downstairs to safety. Meanwhile, Elsa struggled and tried all that she could to escape this situation. Thinking of no other option, she got behind her back and took our her trusted pistol from her holster, pointing it down and shooting the guy in the leg. He screamed out in pain as he let go of Elsa. Just as she free herself, she soon rushed in and pushed him back, getting back into the room he was in, which was an office, and brought him down. She soon got back up and got into a quick stance as the guy got back up and looked to the girl. Seeing her, he knows who it is._

 _"Ah… So the rumors are true. You are one of those SWA bitches that are killing my comrades. Got to admit, you girls caught us all off guard. But this time, you want get the drop on me!"_

 _Elsa looked to him and smirked._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Oh, we'll see about that…"_

 _The boss of this group charged in and began the attack. Winding up, he threw a straightforward punch to knock her out. Elsa quickly ducked down and rolled to the other end, right behind the terrorist boss. Getting back up, she jumped and performed an ariel back kick, knocking his forward. The enemy looked back and was annoyed by her antics and charged in for the next attack. He soon performs a football tackle and spear her down. She positioned her legs and jumped up high in the air. She went upside down and was over the guy. Placing her hands on his shoulder, she jumped off it and flung herself to the other end, landing on the desk and getting to a stance. He looked back at the girl and was extremely upset about this, charging in again to fight her off. He used a barrage of punches in any direction just to hit her as much as he could. Yet no matter how hard he tries, she attempts to block and dodge each and every move. Though she was having fun, she soon knew that it was time to finish this off once and for all. Avoiding the last swing by bending back, she placed her hands on the desk and did a handstand while kicking the leader in the chin. He was caught off guard by that and backed away in a daze. This gave Elsa the opportunity as she got her rifle out and fired right at his chest. The bullets did penetrate through his vest, but no blood came out of it. What's worse is that the person was still standing as he looked up and smirked to her very wickedly. Elsa blinked and was shocked by this unexpected moment._

 _Elsa de Sica: "What? How the…?"_

 _The terrorist leader pounded his chest as he hit something hard in accomplishment._

 _"Heh, heh… Bullet proof vest. Capable of withstanding a small barrage of bullets. Tough luck for you sweetheart."_

 _Elsa heard this and finds that surprising that he would have a vest and not anyone else. But he is the leader; so it's obvious that he would need some serious protection form anything. But she shook that off and decided to strike back._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Temporary setback…"_

 _Putting her rifle away, she jumped off the desk and delivered a torpedo kick to the head. The leader quickly sidestepped out the way as Elsa missed him by a few inches. He then grabbed a hold of her leg and left her dangling for a few short seconds. Elsa was planning to recover from this blunder, but the terrorist wouldn't have it as he decided to strike back._

 _"My turn…"_

 _He then quickly swung her around as she smashed through a table and then crashed into a cabinet. Elsa was caught off guard by this, as she didn't know that he was that strong. So much so, that he flung her to a wall and it created an indent in the middle of it. She soon fell to the floor and struggled to get up. But as she did, the terrorist leader rushed in and was ready to spear her a second time. This time, Elsa had little time to avoid as he pushed her through the wall and the two were in another room._

* * *

 _Back downstairs, the other teams waited until Elsa came back with Angelica and Claes. Though none of them didn't know that Elsa was in a whole lot of trouble. John looked upstairs and was getting a little worried about her._

 _John Darby: "C'mon Elsa… What's taking you so long? Shouldn't be that hard in finding two of your teammates, right?"_

 _Hillshire looked to him and could tell that he's getting a little unease about this._

 _Hillshire: "Getting nervous for your girl, John?"_

 _The Darby looked to him and told him that he's all right over this._

 _John Darby: "Me? Getting nervous? You know my girl can handle herself. Won't be hard for her to look after two girls. It's Marco though I have worries about. He should be concerned about Angelica, yet instead, he's just acting like it's nothing. It's like he doesn't care about her at all."_

 _He turned to him as he crossed his arms and had his head down for a while. Hillshire saw this too and could tell that things haven't been working out well._

 _Hillshire: "Indeed, Marco's relation with Angelica is rough, but he still cares for her. Just give him some time. He needs to understand."_

 _John sighed and knew that won't be easy for Marco. Even after their little chat, it still feels like he isn't interested. Maybe with some time, perhaps they can get back to normal, especially the shortened conditioning. As they were waiting, they could hear a familiar voice from not far away._

 _Jose: "Gentlemen…"_

 _The three and Elsa turned to see the Jose/Henrietta and Jean/Rico teams approaching them as Hillshire greeted them._

 _Hillshire: "Jose… Jean… Took you two long enough to get to us."_

 _Jean approached him and explained what took them too long._

 _Jean: "The outside force was a bit much, but we managed to handle them. What's the situation inside?"_

 _John then approached him and told them what they were going through._

 _John Darby: "The first floor is secured. There were a few complications within mission, but we took care of the terrorist cell."_

 _Jean then looked around and noticed that someone was missing._

 _Jean: "Where is Elsa and Angelica? I don't see them with you or Marco."_

 _John was very silent, as he knew that the two are in need of an answer. Taking a deep breath, he explained as much as he could._

 _John Darby: "Angelica went on ahead upstairs without our orders. I do believe she's going to save Claes."_

 _Jean looked to him and didn't like the sound of any of it. But he kept his composure and asked of the other girl._

 _Jean: "And Elsa? What about her?"_

 _John remained quiet again and decided to speak to him about that as well._

 _John Darby: "She headed upstairs to save Angelica. I gave her the order myself."_

 _Jean groaned as he rubbed the temples of his head._

 _Jean: "This is bad…"_

 _John heard him and was a bit confused._

 _John Darby: "What's the problem? Elsa is going to get Angelica back downstairs. Who knows, maybe they can bring Claes back together."_

 _Jean though turned to him and told him the reason why they need to regroup in this living area._

 _Jean: "You don't get it, John. There are reports of this cell's ringleader living in the second floor of this house. The idea is to regroup and head upstairs to take him out. What made you think three girls, one that hasn't been in the field mind you, to take their ringleader down was a good idea?"_

 _John blinked and didn't think of that sooner._

 _John Darby: "Oh… I didn't realize that until you said it."_

 _Just as Jean was going to scold him of this mistake, they could hear a familiar voice from close by._

 _Angelica: "Over here!"_

 _The group turned to see Angelica and Claes coming down the stairs. John saw them and was pleased that they are safe._

 _John Darby: "See, Jean. What I tell ya? The girls are safe and Claes is all right."_

 _Jean looked to him and was a little quiet over the whole thing. John then approaches the girl and thanked her on a job well done._

 _John Darby: "Excellent work on getting Claes, Angelica. You're not as bad as we all thought."_

 _Angelica smiled and was pleased at how he responded to that. She then turned to Marco and could tell that he wasn't pleased with her not following orders. But at least he knew that she was safe. John though looked around and noticed that someone was missing from the group. Looking down to Angelica, he asked where his fratello was located._

 _John Darby: "Where's Elsa? I told her to come get you."_

 _Angelica looked down and knew that he would be asking her that question. Looking up, she explained the situation to him._

 _Angelica: "We were on the way back until we were ambushed by one of the RF leaders. Elsa is keeping him busy while we make an escape."_

 _That was the worse thing to say as John went from happy, to shock, to being plain mad as he demanded why they left here there._

 _John Darby: "What? Elsa taking on a dangerous terrorist on her own?! Why didn't you assist her in the fight?"_

 _Angelica backed away a little bit, knowing he didn't like what she said. Before she could even explain everything, Claes came in and told him that it wasn't their fault._

 _Claes: "She said that she'd hold him back while we get away. It was her that gave the order and not anyone else."_

 _John heard that and knew that he must do something. Cocking his pistol, he decided to take matters in his own hands. The others saw this and asked him of it._

 _Jean: "What do you think you're doing?"_

 _John Darby: "I'm going to get her out the mess she got herself into. She is my girl after all. Someone has to go and save her."_

 _He started to head on upstairs to save her, but the others were telling him to wait._

 _Jose: "John! Wait! You can't go up there alone. Let us formulate a plan and then we'll get up there as soon as possible."_

 _John turned to him and told him that he can't do that._

 _John Darby: "If we wait, Elsa will die. I can't just do that. I have to go!"_

 _He hurried upstairs and hoped that Elsa is all right. Course what he doesn't know is that things aren't going well for her._

* * *

 _In another room close by, it was completely quiet as no one was present. But then, a wall came crashing down as two individuals came through it. Those two were Elsa and the terrorist leader as he pushed her through a bunch of walls. Once he ran out of momentum, he stopped and let Elsa fly to the other end, smashing a table in the process. Elsa groaned as she was slowly getting up, feeling completely soar from the pain. Looking up to him, the terrorist smirked and wasn't impressed._

 _"Hmph… This is all that this agency got? I thought you girls can take one of the toughest of opponents. But now, I could only see that you don't have the balls to get rid of me. Why don't you go back in playing with your dollies?"_

 _Elsa was seething from those statements as she stood her ground and spat out a bit of blood out of her mouth._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Just keep talking… All the more reason to shut your mouth!"_

 _She charged in and started to attack the terrorist leader. She charged in and began the attack with a couple of punches, but it was all fruitless as the body armor protected the leader. With a smirk, he delivered his own punches to knock down the little girl. Elsa though backed up and swayed back and forth in a boxing move to avoid each shot. She soon found an opening and jumped kicked him to the side. He stumbled back and was caught off by that last attack. But he won't get caught again. Charging onward, he was going to take down the girl with another spear. Elsa though was ready for this and jumped up high in the air and over the boss that was running right towards her. Landing on the ground, she turned and took her rifle out to fire a few more shots in the back, hoping that he was exposed in the back. But she was wrong as the back was well protected as well. The boss looked back and was a little pissed about this._

 _"Really? Did you really think shooting me from behind was going to be a good idea? Have you already forgotten that I have bulletproof armor? You can't harm me!"_

 _Elsa grunted and hated when things don't get her way. Getting up, she tightens her fists and was ready to make another strike._

 _Elsa de Sica: "We'll see about that."_

 _Looking down, she could see a coffee table next to her and decided to move to the next plan. With a quick pivot, she lifted her leg up and brought it down, letting the heel end to hit the edge of the table. This caused the table to tilt up and flew high in the air. She soon planted her foot in succession and made a quick turn to kick roundhouse kick the table and threw it towards the terrorist leader. He could only snicker as he did a brace maneuver to let the table hit him and broke it in half, but all the while, he remained firm as he laughed it off._

 _"Is that the best you got? Ha! You got to do better then…"_

 _Looking upwards, he wasn't expecting what's to come next. Suddenly, Elsa was rocketing towards him with a smirk of her own and her knee in position. He looked on in surprise as he finished what he was going to say._

 _"…that…?"_

 _Almost immediately, the girl jabbed his chin with her knee and caused a serious deep impact. The leader was in a daze as he landed on the floor with a huge thud and was laid there for a moment. Elsa soon pinned him and took her pistol out to aim it right at his face. The leader slowly got out of the daze and looked to see Elsa on top of him with the gun pointed directly at his face. Elsa looked to him with success on her face and was happy about the whole thing._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Word to the wise, never cross paths with Section 2."_

 _The terrorist had little fear in his eyes, but shows compassion with his words._

 _"Stubborn little bitch… You don't have the guts to pull that trigger."_

 _Elsa heard that remark and slowly got the trigger back, ready to dish out some serious punishment._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Try me…"_

 _She was going to shoot a bullet to his forehead and be done with it. That is until he heard a familiar voice._

 _John Darby: "Elsa! Where are you?!"_

 _She soon heard that and turned to where the voice came from, knowing whom it is._

 _Elsa de Sica: "John?"_

 _That was the mistake she made as the leader took advantage and grabbed her by the leg. She felt that and tried to get out of it. But that was until he flung her off of him and tossed her to the sidewall, smashing through a dresser in the process. She groaned and coughed up some blood, not prepared for the last assault. Looking up, she could see the leader getting up and approaching her. He then spotted the pistol she dropped and picked it up, taking aim at her instead. He had a wicked smirk, as he knew that he got her where he wants her, repeating what she said differently._

 _"Word to the wise, don't leave yourself off guard."_

 _Elsa looked on and could tell she made a terrible mistake in keeping her eyes off the prize. The leader was going to do what Elsa was supposed to do and pulled the trigger. But just as he was about to fire, he felt a couple of shots in the back of his bullet proof vest and turned to see John standing at the opened doorway with his pistol pointing at him and a mean expression to his face._

 _John Darby: "Put the gun down, now…"_

 _The terrorist leader saw him and gave a small grunt._

 _"What's this? You're the father of this brat? ` Didn't you teach her not to play with guns? It'll poke her eyes out."_

 _John heard this and grunted to himself._

 _John Darby: "Well, you're one to talk. Didn't anyone tell you to not join a terrorist cult?"_

 _The terrorist groaned and knew that he was mocking him. Elsa saw this argument and warned her handler of the situation._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Sir! Be careful! This ringleader is tough!"_

 _The enemy turned back to the girl and told her to shut up._

 _"Quiet, you no good brat! The adults are talking."_

 _John heard him say it and didn't like his attitude._

 _John Darby: "Don't you dare talk to my girl like that, pal!"_

 _He turned to Darby and was threatening him._

 _"I'll talk to whomever I please!"_

 _He then charged in and began his attack against John with a barrage of punches. John got into a defending stance and used his arms to block off the attack. He was looking for an opening to take the leader down and noticed that he was getting tired when he's wearing that heavy bulletproof vest. Seeing this, he took the opportunity and head butt him in the head. With the leader in a daze, John immediately grab him by the shoulders and delivered multiple knees strikes to the stomach with his good knee. After a couple of strikes, he finished it off with an elbow to the side of the head, knocking him down completely. Then he topped it off with a kick to the side, pushing him to the end of the wall. With that out of the way, he approached him and was pleased with how easy it was._

 _John Darby: "For a leader, you're not that tough. Got something else to say?"_

 _The leader grunted as he looked around to see that he was near the fireplace and has some remains of burning wood. Seeing this, he slowly grabbed the stick to move the fire around and was ready to strike back._

 _"Yeah… I got something to say. But I prefer to let my hands do the talking!"_

 _With that, he used his newly acquired weapon at the John as ashes and burned wood hit John's face. Darby turned away from the last attack and was temporarily blinded by the ash and wood. This gave the terrorist leader an advantage as he got up and struck back. He used his the stick to swing to his stomach, causing John to cringe from the pain. Bowing down, the leader had used the elbow to hit him at the back of the head. John staggered back and tried to make a quick recovery. Yet the leader never gave him the time as he delivered a few more punches to the face. John though managed to block the last attack and swung to him as much as he could. The leader swayed back and forth to avoid each strike as he found the opening and grabbed the Darby in a bear hug, before delivering a suplex right through a table in the middle of the room. John groaned and could imagine that pain he was in just now. The leader though stood there and waiting for him to get up._

 _"Get up…"_

 _John tried to, as he wanted to keep on fighting. But as he was getting up, he bad knee gave way and he buckled down, groaning in pain. The terrorist leader saw him down again and was curious on what's going on. So he demanded again, with force._

 _"I said, get up!"_

 _He lifted his leg up and pounded John by the knee, the bad knee. John screamed in pain, as he knew where that last hit was. The terrorist saw this and knew what's causing him not to get back up._

 _"Oh… I see what's going on. You are a handicap, are you? Ha! That's just rich! You think that someone with a bummed leg can stop me? Don't make me laugh!"_

 _He then started to kick John in the leg over and over again to make sure he doesn't get up. John was screaming in pain and didn't think that the leader would be this aggressive. Elsa though looked to this beat down and was seething over it. She didn't even notice that her eyes were starting to glow blue. The leader finished it off with a kick to the stomach and the push of it kick dragged him to the end of the wall, near the window. Slowly approaching the down Darby, he cocked the pistol Elsa dropped and took aim at his prey._

 _"Normally, I was planning on shooting this little brat for destroying my plans. But since you are here, I think killing you. And the best part is that I'm going to let her watch."_

 _John looked on and could tell this was getting extremely bad. But then, he noticed that Elsa was slowly getting up, and her eyes were glowing blue. He looked on and was confused on that one. But the only thing that caught him guard would be something he would expect._

 _"See you around, bud…"_

 _He slowly pulled the trigger and was going to fire at John. But Elsa managed to stand up and had pure rage in her glowing blue eyes, letting her say the one word that could drive anyone crazy._

 _Elsa de Sica: "NO!"_

 _She lifted her arm up and pointed it to the leader, but she didn't have a rifle on her. Instead there were the sounds of something opening up and a charged shot right towards her target. The terrorist leader turned to hear her and the shot and turned a second too soon to see a blue projectile hit him in the chest. That caused him to get pushed through the window and had glass shards flying outside along with him. He was soon falling to his death as a screamed right down the bottom of the mountain cliffs. John remained there and was speechless with not what Elsa did, but what happened to her._

 _John Darby: "Elsa…? How…?"_

 _Elsa blinked as her eyes went normal, confused by what she just did. But when she looked to her arm, she saw something that shocked her for the first time. For she didn't have a hand, but a blaster with parts of her human skin opened and her sleeve was ripped partly. The blaster is similar to Arcee's, but it was much more smaller and sleeker as blue lines were glowing. She was completely transfixed with this new development and thought her hand should be there. But then, her blaster was retracted back inside and her hand came out with the parts of the skin closing off and sealed the gears and metal on the inside. Seeing her hand again, she flexed it in and out and was still quiet of the whole thing. John managed to stagger back up and tried to get his knee to work properly. Once he got it working, he started to limp a little and approached the fearful girl._

 _John Darby: "Elsa? Are you okay? How did you…?"_

 _Elsa looked to her hand and didn't have a clue how that had happened._

 _Elsa de Sica: "I… I don't know… All I remember is you getting hurt and I got angry. Then I yelled and… and… My mind went blank after that…"_

 _John could see her fearing what she did, and that's a first. She never showed any fear in her life since she joined the agency. But now…? Now things have changed. How could it be that her hand turned into a blaster just like that? It was almost like what the Autobots do when they fight. That's when it hit him. Somehow, that blaster was similar to the Autobots. But how did that happen? What would cause such a thing? Could it be the energon transfusion that was the case? Either way, he needs to calm his girl down before things could get complicated. Bending to his one good knee, he told her that it would be all right._

 _John Darby: "There now… Everything is going to be okay, Elsa. We'll work this out together. I promise you that."_

 _Elsa looked up to him and had that worried stare on her face._

 _Elsa de Sica: "But what about the others? What are we going to say to them? Are we going to tell them about this?"_

 _John heard her and was worried about that as well. This is a rare moment there and a blaster coming out of Elsa's arm isn't normal. Well…that and girls turning into cyber soldiers. He can't just let the others find out about it. If they do, they might put her in the lab for experimentation. Something that Claes has been doing for a long time. So thinking this through, he came up with the only good answer._

 _John Darby: "No… We don't tell them."_

 _Elsa blinked and was shocked by that type of news._

 _Elsa de Sica: "What?! Sir, are you sure that it's wise? If we don't tell them…"_

 _John stopped her and explained why he wouldn't do that._

 _John Darby: "Listen to me, Elsa. We can't let Section 2 know of this. If they do, then they'll have you experimented on. Worse, they might dissect you! I cannot let that happen. We'll keep this a secret from Section 2, just between the two of us. Still, we need to check how your hand changed. Privately of course… Until then, we'll keep it between us. You trust me?"_

 _Elsa was still a little hesitant as she felt like she should tell someone. Still, after what Claes had to go through and the fact that were using her as a guinea pig to whatever tests and tryouts the scientists has for her, it's best to be out of the field instead of indoors. So she looked to him with a little fear in her eyes and gave a silent nod. John smiled and was pleased with that response._

 _John Darby: "Good… Now let's get back downstairs. The others are waiting and could be concern with what's taking us too long."_

 _Elsa nodded again as she slowly walked and was a little rattled by what transpired moments ago. The two soon left the room and was a little slow in getting to where they needed to go due to the injuries and shock they had to go through._

* * *

 _As they were headed back, the teams were waiting for them and could tell that it was taking longer then expected. Jean looked to his watch and could tell that they've been up there for a while._

 _Jean: "Hmm… John is taking longer then expected."_

 _He then looked to the others and told them to move up._

 _Jean: "That's it! We're moving in! Arm up and prepare to head on upstairs! Check every room and keep your guard up. We don't know what we're up against."_

 _The girls and handlers heard that and set up their weapons to come upstairs. But before they had to go up, they heard John's voice upstairs._

 _John Darby: "Don't bother…"_

 _They all soon looked up to see John and Elsa coming down the stairs, but they seem a little out of it. For one, John was limping a little as the terrorist boss injured his bad knee. Elsa though was in worse of shape as she was looking a little spaced out, almost like something very serious happened. Jose saw them coming down and didn't expect them to be in the worse of shape. He soon approached the two as they were reaching downstairs._

 _Jose: "John? Elsa? What happened? You look hurt."_

 _John could tell that everyone wants answers, but he can't explain what really happened or they would get serious. So he explained about it with a few little lies._

 _John Darby: "Well, Elsa did encounter the terrorist ringleader and was having difficulty with him. I did get involved and tried to hold him back, but he was too much for me as well and took me out by the bad knee. If it hadn't been for Elsa taking him out and pushing him out of the window…well, I would've been a goner, that's for sure."_

 _Everyone heard that and was surprised with that sudden turn of events. Though they did not know what really happened upstairs. Jean heard it all and was a bit surprised by what John was saying._

 _Jean: "You mean to tell me that your girl, John, single handedly took down the terrorist leader? How? Taking on this person it a dangerous risk, even for one fratelo team."_

 _Now John was sweating, as Jean needed a straight answer. So he lied as much as he could._

 _John Darby: "Yes, well it wasn't an easy feat, mind you. With the bulletproof armor and sheer strength of our target, it would be really difficult to take him down, even with all the fratelo teams. But Elsa managed to take him down by…kicking him through the window. I'm certain that he's already at the bottom of the cliffs and went splat. You got to hand it to my girl. Though small, there is…more to her then meets the eyes."_

 _Jean was quiet by the whole thing and finds it to be very suspicious. But giving that there's no proof of all of that, then he would brush that aside._

 _Jean: "Very well… At least you two did a good job in taking the leader out. Still, you need to get that knee looked at by Bianchi. Whatever happened to you upstairs could be severe."_

 _John nodded and was relieved that Jean did continue with the questions and answers. Jean then turned to the others and decided to that this mission was over._

 _Jean: "Anyways, we should contact Lorenzo to let him know that the mission was a success and we managed to retrieve Claes. Let's start cleaning up and return to Section 2."_

 _Everyone nodded as they started to leave out of the house. Meanwhile, John was limping a bit after the attack and Elsa walked next to him and looked completely spaced out. The girls saw her act this way and wanted to help her out. But giving that she needs some time for herself, they'll just let her get through with what she's going through. Course, they didn't really know what happened upstairs. Elsa, meanwhile, was simply processing what just happened. Looking to her hand that opened up to reveal the blaster, she was starting to question how that came about._

John Darby: "Elsa… Elsa? Elsa!"

End Flashback…

* * *

Elsa blinked as she snapped out of her mental state. When she heard John's voice from beside her, she looked up to respond.

Elsa: "Yes, John?"

John looked down to his girl and was up when it was time for the plane to make its decent. He could tell that she was starring at the same hand and arm where the blaster came out of. He sighed and asked if things are all right.

John Darby: "You seem very quiet for a while, much more then normally."

He then noticed her arm reached out, realizing why she was looking right at it.

John Darby: "Did that hand turned into a blaster again?"

Elsa heard that and immediately shook her head, explaining that it wasn't the case.

Elsa de Sica: "No! Of course not! I was just thinking of what happened that night when that event occurred. When you were hurt and I got angry… I can't figure out why that happened to me. Let alone when it will happen again, for if it will get worse."

John listened to her and could tell that she was scared if it would get worse if this condition she has worsened. He knew what caused the arm and hand turning into a blaster. That something in her body is changing and it has something to do with the energon used to save her. He just doesn't know on how long it will last until the effects worsen. Despite the more strength, speed, and agility, nothing else has shown physically. But he knew that something bad would happen, he knows it. Looking to Elsa, he told her that everything would be all right.

John Darby: "Look, I know this is something we can't possibly explain, but we need to keep these abilities discrete. Giving that you haven't gotten angry yet is a lucky thing, but I do not know what will happen if this escalates. I'll tell you what, when we find my family and the Autobots, we'll have Ratchet look into you. Bianchi does not know what is wrong with you on that check up, but I'm certain Ratchet will have a clue giving his medical expertise. We'll speak to him about it, okay?"

Elsa listened to his advice and gave a quick nod.

Elsa de Sica: "Got it."

John Darby: "Good. Now get that seat belt fasten that that tray table up. We're about to land in Detroit shortly."

Elsa heard him and got herself ready for a descent. The plane gently made its landing to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. John looked out at the window to see the city in the distance and was one step close to reach his family.

John Darby: "Just wait a little longer, Jack, June. We'll be together again. I promise…"

* * *

 **That's then end of chapter four of Family. This was a complicated one to work with as I keep coming up with last minute changes on a few occasions. But regardless, I did a good job in putting it all together. On the next chapter, John and Elsa are preparing to find his family as another memory of what happened after the Villa took place. Stay tuned to see where this chapter is going. Hope to see you in ComicCon New York this week! Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	5. Unexplained Discoveries

**Okay, back with the fifth chapter, and this one is another quickie. Sure some people say that the last was long and complex, but to be fair, that was just me being very honest. After all, I said the last chapter was short because I had chapters that were extremely longer then others. Hell, in my Teen Matrix 2 story. It took me months getting chapter after chapter of written martial that would be over fifty pages and even a hundred. Which lead to the story having less popularity then my other works. But hey, I was honest and you all got a chapter that those have requested so badly, even if the one reviewer tends to be extremely picky.**

 **Speaking of reviews, still doing good on this story. Have myself six review and over 250 hits on it. Pretty good for a _'short'_ chapter. There were, however those that question it as they wondered if Elsa is going to turn into a Minicon. Though I wish to answer it personally, I don't really want to as it would spoil the whole episode. So you all have to wait until the end of the story to find out yourself, preferably on the chapter before the last. You'll be surprised with what I have in store.**

 **On this fifth chapter of the fourth episode of TFP: Season 3, Arcee asked for a simple request to help Jack get himself out of this funk he is in. Meanwhile, John and Elsa made it to Detroit to begin the search. That is until John remembered of what Dr. Bianchi said when he checked on Elsa and her bizarre condition.**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **Now this is a bit of a reach for me. See, I did state that in the last chapter that John and Elsa would keep the secret to the agency. So when I stated that Bianchi would be examining Elsa of this condition, it will be under privacy and not with Section two nosing around. I will also explain how John would keep the doctor's mouth shut after revealing of what's happening to Elsa. Again, a reach, however, it will be satisfying.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girls**

* * *

Chapter Five: Unexplained Discoveries

Within the Autobot base underneath Lake Eerie, Optimus was in his quarters, looking into the latest report regarding any Decepticon activity. Since he and his team made an escape from Darkmount, things have been getting quiet as of late. Especially since Rodimus turned into a Prime and saved everyone. But just because the defeat of the Predacon doesn't mean that the Cons won't coward so likely. Megatron is planning something after that botch, but what is the question? He looked to his data pad and checked to see about Cons patrolling for energon, something the Autobots need very badly since most of their stock is being used during Optimus's recovery. They would need more for the team. As he was looking at the report, he could hear a knock at the door and let the individual behind to come in.

Optimus Prime: "Come in…"

The door automatically opened as Optimus read the Decepticon sighting report. But then, he heard a voice from close by that was very familiar.

Arcee: "Optimus…"

The Autobot leader looked up and saw Arcee standing there and had a firm stand. He looked right at her and slowly placed the data pad on the desk and decided to speak to her.

Optimus Prime: "Arcee…? To what do I owe the visit to?"

The femme remained quiet and wondered if she wants to speak to him about what she learned. She knew what Jack is going through is a family matter and couldn't be shared with others. But Arcee and the Autobots are family and some matters need to be shared. So slowly approaching the desk, she took a deep breath and explained the situation with her partner.

Arcee: "I want to speak to you about Rodimus."

Optimus heard that and peered his optics to her, curious as of what she said. With not much of a response, he told her to continue.

Optimus Prime: "Go on…"

Arcee: "You're fully aware of Jack's father, do you?"

Optimus was silent, as he answers her question.

Optimus Prime: "Of course, I'm fully aware of him. He visited his family months ago before encountering you and then finding out he works for an agency that the Decepticons hacked to gain sensitive information. We were lucky that we saved the agency's Intel, otherwise, the Cons would've have a new class of Cons to attack this planet in disguise. Why you ask me such a thing?"

Arcee sighed as she explained about what Jack is going through.

Arcee: "You see, sir, Jack has been a little out of it lately because of his family."

Optimus looked on and told her to keep speaking.

Optimus Prime: "Please… Continue…"

Arcee nodded and kept on explaining.

Arcee: "Jack's father and his uncle had celebrated their birthdays when he was young. But when the bombing in Baghdad killed his uncle and injured his father, it had been trying times for him. Every birthday, Jack and his mom always visit his uncle's grave and place flowers, remembering the good times they have. Now, unfortunately, they can't do that either, since the Decepticons took over Jasper and his family was turned into Cybertronians like us. Because of this, Jack is in a depressing state and it could effect his training."

Optimus heard this and could agree with her on some occasions. Rodimus is the future Prime for the Autobots and needs to train to be ready in the event Optimus can't succeed. Having Jack distracted could simply affect the whole thing. Knowing this, he asked Arcee of any options.

Optimus Prime: "What do you have in mind?"

Arcee thought of this and wondered what to do with Jack. This is of course her partner and sparkmate after all and needs to help him get through this rough time. So she soon came up with an idea and spoke to the leader about it.

Arcee: "I'm suggesting that perhaps maybe he could go with me to a drive. Someplace private so I could speak to him of this. Get his head out of the clouds and snap him out of it. If I can pull that off, then maybe Rodimus would simply get his focus back. I might as well send June with him as well, as it would help clear her processor as well and would give me assistance in aiding Jack. All I'm asking is for your permission."

Optimus listened to her proposal and gave it some serious thought. He didn't think that Arcee would want the Prime in training to get out of the base to get a breather for what he's going through, let alone bringing June along as well. But Jack is the newly created Prime and he needs to be at his game incase the Autobot leader gets killed. So it is best to have Rodimus get a bit of a break. So coming to a decision, he looked to the femme and decided to let her do that.

Optimus Prime: "Very well… I'll let you take Jack and June out of the base for a while to help ease his troubled processor, but only for the morning. Rodimus's training will start tomorrow afternoon, as I need to help him control his Prime state. I cannot let him loose control like what happened in Detroit."

Arcee heard this and was pleased by his response. She then bowed her head gracefully and thanked him for the decision.

Arcee: "Thank you sir. I promise you that my partner will return for training by the end of the morning."

Optimus smiled and was glad that Arcee and he can ease off on Jack's schedule between training and quality time with Arcee.

Optimus Prime: "I do have high hopes that you will keep your word. You are dismissed."

Arcee lifted her head up and was fortunate enough that she can help Jack get through with this hard time he's going through. She then turned around and left Optimus's office, heading to June to speak of the good news. Optimus meanwhile went back to his report and was glad there was some agreement between the two. But then, he had a feeling that something didn't feel right. He couldn't get his digit on it yet, but it feels like something bad is coming, and it's not a Decepticon. But what? And when? He soon shrugged it off and went back to work; thinking that there was nothing to worry about. However, what he didn't know is that trouble is coming to them, and it is a family matter.

* * *

Somewhere, in Detroit's National Airport, everyone was walking about either trying to get into their planes to leaving the airport. At the restrooms in one of the wings, Elsa was standing there next to the entrance to the men's room holding her violin case with both her hands. By the time the plane from Rome landed, John told her to wait outside the bathroom while he freshens up inside. She, of course, obeys him and waited for him to come out. While she was waiting, she couldn't believe that she was back in the U.S. It has been months since the first visit, and although it was a bumpy start and she nearly sacrificed herself to save her handler, she was glad that she's back and there won't be a repeat like last time. And then there was her mysterious ability that was resurfacing. She could tell that they were alien in nature and the blaster that she had was similar to Arcee's but with a few differences. Maybe when they find the Autobots, they would have some answers as to why her body was altering to something different. She could even get a chance to see Jack, as she had never seen him since they left from Jasper. She's certain that he had many adventures during her absence. That is of course if she and John can find him and his mom. Peeking back to the bathroom, she wondered what's taking her handler so long.

* * *

In the bathroom, John was at the sink with a few toiletries by his side. When they arrived in Detroit, he thought that he should fix himself up before finding his family. For if they saw him like a wreck, it could mean that his family would question his state of mind. So he decided to freshen himself up to be more presentable. He managed to fix his hair and saved his face to give himself a clean look. Finishing with the shave, he looked to himself and was pleased with how he looks. But looking at himself, he remembered about the time that he had to head to Dr. Bianchi's medical facility in Section 2 to check up on his damaged leg on the previous mission. It was when he asked him for a short favor and made a discovery that seemed very impossible.

* * *

 _Flashback…_

 _In the Social Welfare Agency's Section 2 medical wing, John was sitting on the medical bench with a sheet on top of it while Dr. Bianchi was looking into the X Ray of the knee that was damaged from the previous mission. Elsa was sitting on one of the waiting chairs, as she remained quiet the whole time, especially what she had gone through on that mission. Once he examined his X-rays, the doctor rubbed his chin and could tell that it wasn't serious._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Well, it looks like your knee wasn't as damaged as you think. One of those terrorist leaders did a serious number, but not to much on the knee. Why just a few more hits and you would've been in a wheelchair."_

 _John looked to him with a stern expression and hated when he said that._

 _John Darby: "Please doctor, don't jinx it. You know damn well that whenever someone says something like that, it does come true. So you think that I can still be on active duty?"_

 _Bianchi thought of that and decided to leave him out for a bit._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Hmm… Not likely. Just because your knee wasn't badly damaged doesn't mean I can let you back in the field. The bone was a little broken and it could snap a little bit. I suggest that you need to recover until the bone is fully recovered, like a week at most. As far as some medicine, I suppose that some painkillers and calcium will keep that bone healthy. Once the week is up, you will be walking properly."_

 _John heard that and gave that news a deep sigh._

 _John Darby: "So… a week out of action. Ah well, I guess it could've gone worse."_

 _Bianchi then turned to him and requested something else._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "You know, if you don't want to have that knee become to primary target, we can always set up an appointment for an emergency prosthetic leg to help you walking normally without the risk of a breakdown. Could make things easier for you."_

 _John grunted as he looked to him to pass on that offer._

 _John Darby: "Thanks, but no thanks. As much as I appreciate getting my leg replaced, I don't want to be 25% cyborg. Besides, I do not want to have a crutch in future missions."_

 _He soon turned to his girl and could see her very quiet on the whole thing. And why should she be? She had a whole lot of a shock when her hand and arm got turned into a blaster in just seconds. She wants to know what is happening to her. John knew it and has to share it with the doctor, but he cannot have this leaked out. He'll resolve it first hand after he checked on Elsa's condition. Until then, he needs to speak to the doctor about that. Turning to him, he asked for a simple favor._

 _John Darby: "Say Bianchi, can you do a favor for me?"_

 _The doctor heard him and was a little confused by it, yet took that favor anyways._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Of course, John. What is it do you want?"_

 _The Darby soon turned to Elsa asked to check on her._

 _John Darby: "Can you do a quick x-ray on my girl. I think something is wrong with her."_

 _The doctor raised an eyebrow and looked to the girl with curiosity._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "And why would I do that? She seems fine to me."_

 _John though shrugged it off and told him what he experienced._

 _John Darby: "Trust me when I say this, what happened on the mission certainly changed her physically."_

* * *

 _And so he did it. Already ten minutes in, Elsa was strapped to the cold surface bed in just her training bra and plain panties, for easy used of scanning, as a scanning device was over her. It moved up and down to as a green line bathed her over and over again. On the other side of the room, Bianchi and John were looking through the two-way mirror as John looked on with worry. The doctor could see him behaving this way and decided to ease the tension._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Are you worried, John?"_

 _The handler looked to him and told him that he wasn't, when in reality he was._

 _John Darby: "No… Not much… Why ask such a question?"_

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Because you were a little nervous over your girl. I heard of what happened on the mission to retrieve Claes and take down the terrorist cell. That Elsa went upstairs to save Angelica and was attacked by that terrorist leader after getting Claes. You had to come up to save your girl, but when you come back, you were hurt and Elsa was a little out of it. Everyone was curious about what happened upstairs, including myself. So please tell me, what really happened out there?"_

 _John was extremely quiet over the whole thing and decided to keep it blunt._

 _John Darby: "Let's just say that Elsa had gone through some changes on that mission. Changes we're too afraid of explaining. Which is why I need your help in figuring out what's really wrong with her."_

 _Bianchi heard him and wasn't sure what he meant by that. Looking to Elsa, there is nothing wrong with her. On the surface, it seems like Elsa is fine, but that was the outside. The inside though, maybe it could be something that sort of damaged her. Perhaps from the fight against the terrorist leader that hurt her. Whatever the case, he should take a good look to see what happened to her. After all, a little scan wouldn't harm anyone. Once the scan is complete, Bianchi checked the computer to see what was damaged. But when he looked through it, he noticed something not right and checked again and again._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Wait a minute…"_

 _He looked once more and knew something has changed._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "This cannot be right."_

 _John heard him and was concerned of what he said._

 _John Darby: "What… What's going on? What's wrong?"_

 _Bianchi turned to John and explained what he was seeing._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "You're right about your girl, John. Something is wrong with Elsa, but this is something that's complicated. Here let me show you."_

 _He went into another computer and opened up another x-ray of Elsa's previous checkup. Walking away, he showed John on what he discovered._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Here, take a look at Elsa's x-ray months ago and her x-ray now. Do you see the difference?"_

 _John got curious and slowly walked to the two computers to see what Bianchi wanted him to look at. Looking on, he saw two different x-rays of Elsa. The one on the right was the normal cybernetic prosthetics that was taken months ago, before the trip to Jasper. But on the other side, it was completely different. Half her skeletal structure was coated by a metallic alloy that looks more durable. The synthetic muscle had harder fibers that would increase her strength and agility. There are gears that looked inhuman like while connected to parts of her body. And there's a strange contraption where her heart used to be and there's something that's glowing from within. John looked to the two x-rays and was a little perplexed about it._

 _John Darby: "Doctor…? What am I looking at?"_

 _Bianchi rubbed the back of his head and tried to explain it as much as possible._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "I… I clearly don't know. From what I can understand, her skeletal structure, her muscles, most of her organs and components has altered in a molecular level. She is still functioning normally, however."_

 _John heard that and was starting to get interested by this sudden developed._

 _John Darby: "Altered…? What do you mean by that? What is she altering into?"_

 _The doctor shrugged it off and had to piece it all together._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Something in her body is causing her to change into something even I can't explain. From the looks of the components, they appeared to have enhanced her skeletal and muscle structure while adding parts that the agency had never added. I mean, look at the chest. There is no heart in her! Instead it looked like some type of power core with something glowing on the inside. This is so surreal… Almost alien like…"_

 _John looked to the x-ray and was surprised by this turn of events. Enhanced bones and muscles? Components that are not part of the agency? A power core? How can Elsa have something like that? It doesn't seem impossible unless… Unless… Is she turning into a Cybertronian? That can't be possible! How can a cybernetic girl can turn into a half Cybertronian? That's when he remembered what happened to Elsa. When she sacrificed herself to save John from a blast of dark energon by Megatron's blaster, she was poisoned by the toxic after effects. Because of it, they needed to administer normal energon into her body to counteract the substance. Is it possible that the energon in her system is altering her body in any way? And how long did that spread into her for?_

 _John Darby: "How long is has this been effected her?"_

 _Bianchi looked to the new x-ray and made some calculations._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "By the looks of it, how much has spread, my possible guess is that this has been in her system for a week or two, tops. I'm certain that it will be a matter of time before the changes are completed."_

 _John looked to him and demanded about that._

 _John Darby: "What do you mean by completed?"_

 _Dr. Bianchi: "I wish I can tell you. I cannot pretend that what Elsa is going through is normal for a growing girl."_

 _John lowered his head down and looked to table in distraught over the fact that this had been going on for weeks and will continue until it is over._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "I'm going to have to contact Lorenzo."_

 _That caught John by surprise as he looked to him and was a little aggravated._

 _John Darby: "What?"_

 _Dr. Bianchi: "And the Italian government and the science division."_

 _The Darby quickly waved it off and told him not to._

 _John Darby: "We're not going to do that."_

 _The doctor looked to him and told him that it has to be done._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "John, this is serious. Elsa has a condition that even I can't understand. If we don't isolate the problem quick, this could be contagious, perhaps lethal for all I know. We need to keep a close watch on her and see what other changes took place."_

 _John still won't buy it as he explains that it was still a bad idea._

 _John Darby: "No hold up… I can't do that. Elsa is my girl, she's family. I can't have her get experimented on and treated like a lab rat, just like what Claes is going through. We need keep this a secret between you and I and not discuss this to Lorenzo or anyone else."_

 _Still, the doctor wasn't buying it as he told him that they have to do it._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "John, this condition could be expanding, evolving, changing as we are having this conversation. I have to tell someone otherwise-"_

 _John just about had it as he grabbed the doctor by the collar of his medical uniform and pushed him to the wall, pinning him completely. As he got him trapped, he took his pistol and pointed it to his chin. Though he didn't want to shoot him, he needs to make sure that the secret will be kept under wraps._

 _John Darby: "Now you listen to me, and listen to me well. I care so much for Elsa since day one and I trained her well. I would never abandon her to take part in some whatever science project you are thinking. So here's how its going to go down, you will not say a word of what transpired and pretend this didn't happen. If you speak about this to anyone… well… I don't want to be held responsible for what's about to happen. Do you understand?"_

 _Bianchi looked to the pistol that was pointed to him and was at a crossroads in this type of situation._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "John, you do realize that what you're doing is an act of treason, don't you?"_

 _John smirked and reminded him of what he's planning to do._

 _John Darby: "And you do realize that what you are doing is an invasion of privacy and imprisonment. You tell anyone about this, you'll regret it."_

 _The doctor remained calm at this as he took a breather and decided to leave the situation behind._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Okay… I'll do whatever you say. But if things get out of hand, I'll have to warn Lorenzo of this."_

 _John heard him and decided that that's enough._

 _John Darby: "Good. Now keep what you've gathered saved in a private file away from Sections 2's eyes and pretend that this little check up didn't happen."_

 _Bianchi gave a silent nod as John let him go and put his pistol away._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "I'll handle that."_

 _John smirked and was pleased he got the doctor to see things his way._

 _John Darby: "Good… Now excuse me while I bring my girl back to her dorm."_

 _He then slowly walks away as he opened the door to get out. But not before he turned to the doctor one more time for a little warning._

 _John Darby: "Just remember, tell anyone about this and you'll regret it."_

 _He soon closed the door behind him and the doctor was standing there a little befuddled._

 _Dr. Bianchi: "Lord… What have I done…?"_

* * *

 _A few minutes later, John and Elsa were slowly walking to the girls' dorm, trying to avoid anyone that was around. Elsa, fully clothed, had her head down and was curious as to why her handler hasn't spoken to her yet. Was it something she'd done? Did something happen with Bianchi that could be completely devastating? She has to know. Looking up to him, she asked about what happened back there._

 _Elsa de Sica: "John? Is everything okay? What happened back at Bianchi's? Does it have to do with me?"_

 _John remains quiet, as he had to explain what he had learned. Elsa didn't like how quiet he is and asked again._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Is there really something wrong with me?"_

 _John could see the last agent walk past and decided now would be a good time to talk._

 _John Darby: "No Elsa, there is nothing wrong with you, at least not physically anyways."_

 _Elsa raised an eyebrow in confusion._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Physically? What do you mean by that?"_

 _John looked around to see if no one is around. When he saw that they were in the clear, he looked down to Elsa and asked her something._

 _John Darby: "Elsa, you do recall on that energon injection that saved you from dark energon poisoning, do you?"_

 _Elsa remained quiet as she responded as much as she could._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Course I remember it. I had to save you from getting his by Megatron's blaster. Could imagine how devastating that Dark energon in my system is. Why you ask that question?"_

 _John gave a sigh and was ready to explain what happened at the doctor's office._

 _John Darby: "You see, Bianchi scanned you to make sure that nothing is wrong with you. But it turns out; there is something very wrong. From what he can understand, your cybernetic components have mysteriously been altered, almost alien like. It was then that I discovered that your components have been altered to something that resembles Cybertronians."_

 _Elsa heard this and was shocked by it._

 _Elsa de Sica: "What? I have Cybertronian components? How?!"_

 _John Darby: "My guess is that the energon Ratchet administered must've altered the cybernetics inside your body. It could explain why your hand turned into a blaster in the first place."_

 _Elsa listened to this and realized that the energon is altering her body on the inside. Looking down to her hand, she flexed it and feared of what would happen if it changes again. Looking up to her handler, she asked him of what to do now._

 _Elsa de Sica: "So what do we do now? Are we going to tell anyone about this?"_

 _John was silent about this and he couldn't let Section 2 know of this. So looking to her, she told her that's their problem._

 _John Darby: "No, we don't tell…"_

 _Elsa blinked and was shocked by this._

 _Elsa de Sica: "What?! But sir-"_

 _John stopped her and explained of the situation._

 _John Darby: "If we tell anyone of this, they will take you in and experiment on you. Hell, maybe they'll find a way in using the components like the blaster hand on the other girls, dissecting you to get what they want. It's best that we keep it a secret between the two of us."_

 _Elsa heard this and told him of the doctor._

 _Elsa de Sica: "What of Bianchi? He now knows of this and would let Lorenzo know as well."_

 _John smirked and told her that he took care of it._

 _John Darby: "Don't worry about him. I'd made sure that he keeps this quiet. He will spill it out incase things get out of hand, but I'm certain that he'll be keeping this to himself. Regardless, we can't just tell anyone about this. Not the agents, not the girls, not anyone! We'll work this out together until we figure out how long this would last. Do you understand?"_

 _Elsa was very quiet about this and didn't know what to think of John's behavior. John could see this and told her again._

 _John Darby: "Do I make myself clear, Elsa?"_

 _Elsa remained still as she decided to tell him that she'd do it._

 _Elsa de Sica: "Yes sir… I understand perfectly."_

 _John smiled and knew that she can keep this a secret._

 _John Darby: "Good. Now let's get you to the dorm. Remember, don't tell anyone about it."_

 _Elsa nodded as the two walked away from the whole experience and promised to never share it with others._

 _End Flashback…_

* * *

John looked to himself and was silent over the whole thing. Discovering that Elsa's cybernetic components altered into Cybertronians was a shocker. But keeping the secret from the SWA on this secret, that was a difficult one. After all, he couldn't just let anyone in on this until he's sure that the effects of the alterations aren't too drastic. Hopefully, he will find the Autobots and ask to check on her just to get a good enough confirmation of that. Wiping himself, he placed the remaining toiletries in his bag and picked it up, walking out of the rest room.

* * *

Back with Elsa, she was waiting for a while and was curious as of what is taking him this long. Turning to the right, she saw John walking out all cleaned up and ready to leave. Turning to him, she was pleased that he came back, even for a moment.

Elsa de Sica: "John."

John looked to her girl and gave a warm smile before telling her to go.

John Darby: "Let's get going."

The two soon left the restroom area and walked on ahead. As they were walking, John apologized for taking long.

John Darby: "Sorry if I took long. I just need to look presentable to my family, if we find them."

Elsa looked up to him to see that he is clean-shaven and groomed up nicely. Seeing this, she gave him a compliment.

Elsa de Sica: "You look nice, John?"

The Darby looked down to her and was pleased with what she said.

John Darby: "Thanks, Elsa. I'm just hoping that June would say that when I can meet up with her."

Elsa then gave a thought of her own.

Elsa de Sica: "I'm also hoping that I get to see Jack and Arcee again. I never got a chance in personally thanking her from that energon transfusion that saved my life. That and some other… side effects I've been getting."

John nodded and told her that everything is all right.

John Darby: "Don't worry… When we see the Autobots, we'll have Ratchet check on you and see what has been changed. Just because Bianchi said that there were altercations doesn't mean that I would get another doctor's opinion."

He soon started to walk past what looked like a small group gathered around the exit of baggage claim with picket signs rejecting aliens from Earth as one of them was handing out flyers that spoke of joining their side. He sighed and knew that it's a long road ahead.

John Darby: "I just hope we get to them soon. If these protests against them escalates, there's going to be a chance the UN would simply denounce the Autobots. Let's hope that never happens."

They soon left area and headed out of the airport. As they were heading out, John could see someone standing there with his vintage Harley Sportster next to him. The person, who was in charge of handling the heavy baggage like vehicles, looked to him approaching his side and knew who he is.

"Jonathan Darby?"

John approached him and answered back.

John Darby: "That's me…"

He nodded and gave him a clipboard with a pencil and showed the ride.

"Your Harley Davidson Cafe Sportster XLCR, vintage 1972. Just need you to sign the lease."

John smiled and knew that he they kept their promise. Before leaving, he asked the airport reception to transfer his bike to the states as well. Took some time and paperwork to get his ride with him. But he managed to get his bike with him and now he can ride with it just like before.

John Darby: "Of course."

He got the clipboard and started to sign it up. As he was signing, the person looked to the bike and was impressed.

"Got to admit, that's one fine piece of machinery. Rarely see bikes like this now."

John looked to him and was happy that he has a eye for something like that.

John Darby: "Well Detroit does have a long history of motor vehicles. Thought I show off one of my own. Had that bike for a long time. I never want to let go of it."

The person gave a chuckle and was curious about one thing.

"It's too bad it's just some bike and not a robot disguised as one. Would've been super cool to see something like that."

John turned to him and was surprised by that response.

John Darby: "So you're with the idea of have the Autobots stay here? I thought everyone doesn't seem keen on them staying on this planet."

The male person shrugged it off and told him that that's the worse case scenario.

"And have the these Decepticons take over the world? I don't think so. Look, I get that not everyone is all right with this robot war in our world, but let's face the facts. These Cons took down a small town in Nevada. You think our military will handle the Cons without the Autobots, giving how easy it is for those bad aliens to take down our boys with their advance weaponry. Come now, that's a lose/lose scenario from what I can see."

John chuckled and knew that he was right. If the Autobots get kicked off world, then the military won't stand a chance against the Cons. Finishing with paperwork, he gave it to the person and thanked him.

John Darby: "Thank you for looking after my bike."

He got the clipboard and finished with the conversation.

"But of course, I always like to keep an eye out for some fine vintage piece of works. Have a nice day."

He soon left the two as John turned to Elsa and told her to get on.

John Darby: "Let's get a move on. We're already wasting daylight."

He headed to the back of the bike and placed his luggage up on the tray in the back. Elsa though decided to speak to him and asked why they were in Detroit.

Elsa de Sica: "Sir, might I ask, why did we have to make a stop at Detroit? Shouldn't we return to Nevada and look for clues there?"

John grunted and explained to her why they were here in the first place.

John Darby: "Even if we do head to Nevada, Jasper is still under Con control and that barrier is still placed to prevent the military from getting in. I doubt that we would find any clues as to the whereabouts of my family. But I thought that I do a little research and turns out that Jack and June weren't the only ones that were evacuated first."

Elsa heard that and was intrigued with it while approaching the back to place her violin case on the rack.

Elsa de Sica: "Really? How so?"

John then got on the front seat and started to warm up the engine, continuing with the explanation.

John Darby: "Remember Raf and Miko? Well turns out their families have evacuated first before anyone else since the two are close to Team Prime. Though the government would've relocated them anywhere else, they decided to place them here, in Detroit. So if they're in Detroit…"

Elsa tied the two luggages together to keep them from falling while finishing what he said.

Elsa de Sica: "Then that means that your family and the Autobots are here too? But where do we start? How are we going to find them?"

John finally started the engine as it roared to life, explaining the plan.

John Darby: "Turns out that Raf and Miko have been enrolled in the same school here in this city. Charter High School, I believe it's called. Yet Jack wasn't enrolled in it. We'll start there and ask the two on my family, perhaps the location of the base as well."

Elsa took a seat from behind and asked one more thing.

Elsa de Sica: "And if they don't give us an answer?"

John sighed as he revved his engine.

John Darby: "We'll see when we get there."

Soon enough, the two drove out of the airport and into the city, reaching to the high school Raf and Miko attend. But what will start as an investigation can turn into something they would never expect.

* * *

 **That's all with the chapter. Got to say, it's another short one for me. I know I had to put up a lot of information, but at least I didn't have to worry about complicating the story. Speaking of complications, what about Elsa and what's happening to her body. That was unexpected huh? I'm pretty sure you all are wondering if she's turning into a Minicon. Well I won't say it until you read through the rest of the story, starting with the chapter where John and Elsa reach the school and ask Raf and Miko about his family. Where will this go to next? You have to wait and see. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	6. Schooled

**So… Another season of Transformers: Robots in Disguise just came out. Boy, that was unexpected. From what I thought, at least on what Wikipedia said, that the series was dwindled down to two seasons and a mini movie as before it was just three seasons. I didn't think they would continue it, especially since TF: RID is on a dead time slot on an early Saturday morning. But I digress, since it's nice to see that they got that third season going. And from what I heard, Starscream is going to make an appearance and is more buffed. I sort of liked the Starscream on Prime as it did show how he is portrayed. But hey, it wasn't something we were expecting, as I'm happy that it will continue the franchise.**

 **What I'm not happy about is the fact that it is still on that said timeslot while all others just get so much airtime. This is something that got me started on my #WherearetheGoodCartoons? campaign. That the fact that cartoons that have great animation, story driven dialog, character development, and morals get shoved to the side for the most mediocre and dumb down shows that think that stupid comedy, toilet humor, cheap animation, and one dimensional characters make more money then those that really matter. Hasbro should've known better then to have Cartoon Network handle their show after what they did with Transformers Animated. Sure the damage is done and Hasbro can't do anything about it. But the least they can do is simply pry it off the CN executives' hands and give it to the hands of executives that understand what makes a good cartoon. And sure, even though Discover Family still has Rescue Bots and Prime, the least they could do give Robots in Disguise as chance. I mean, you have plenty of timeslots all day that is being filled with My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop. The least they can do is have another show on the block and maybe set up a Transoformers mini marathon somewhere in the afternoon for all three shows. At least that would give it some popularity. But hey, that's my honest opinion, as executives of cartoon channels couldn't simply let go of long running products.**

 **Oh well, we'll see where this new season is going to go. Still haven't watched the second season and everything is pretty much saved on my DVR. I'm hoping they set up new episodes on Netflix really soon as I need to clear up a lot of space.**

 **The last chapter was really good and I've been getting positive responses over it. I already have four reviews and almost 350 hits on this beauty. Course I had to remove guest reviews as they are always pestering me on updating over and over again. I'm getting really annoyed and it has to stop. Just because I like to do these stories doesn't mean I have to do it all day like a shut-in. So please… STOP TELLING ME TO UPDATE AS I CAN'T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE! Geeze, these people and their impatience.**

 **Getting to the next chapter, John and Elsa head to Charter School in Detroit to speak to Miko and Raf about where June and Jack are located. This could get more interesting as Elsa encountered a familiar face in Jasper. What's bound to happen in this development? It could be a fascinating chapter.**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **Now in this chapter, we'll be having some returning characters from my version of season three. For those of you who never read much of my season 3 episodes, I suggest on reading episodes 1 – 3 to see the characters that I've added. Some of which you are familiar with from the movies and other animated series. Also, some of you must be asking how would Miko and Raf, also known as Kaosu and Firewall as their Cybertronian names, go to school when they have Cybertronian bodies. Well, I did come up with a solution based on that situation. Trust me when I say this, it will blow your mind.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or Gunslinger Girl**

* * *

Chapter Six: Schooled

Somewhere in the state of Tennessee, the Nemesis was hovering over what are the destructive remains of the correctional facility that MECH once occupied. But on the ground, Decepticon drones were searching through the rubble to find any known evidence on the appearances of the new Cybertronians. In the middle of the wreckage, Starscream, Knockout, and Soundwave were observing the investigation, wondering if the minions would find anything that would count as proof. Knockout looks to the damage of the correctional facility and was quite surprised by the looks of it.

Knockout: "My, oh my… Look at this place. Almost looks like an Earth Tornado blew in here, huh? Are you sure this is the right place?"

Starscream turned to him with disdain and told him that they were here.

Starscream: "The location Soundwave provided regarding the first new energon signatures are very accurate. No doubt, this is the spot where the first energon signatures were detected."

Knockout checked again and was a little unsure of this.

Knockout: "Are you certain? Cause it feels like this place hasn't been occupied for some time."

Starscream was getting a little aggravated by this and told him what the Intelligence officer showed him.

Starscream: "From what the information Soundwave gave me, this facility was closed down in decades. But recent government files stated that it was being used and there were reports that states that there were numerous blackouts for miles away. It's a strong chance that this is related to the mysterious energon signatures. Which means someone was here and we need to figure out what."

The medic was silent over this and thought it would be impossible.

Knockout: "Good luck on looking for anything around here. It looks like most of the place seemed to be in shambles by an attack and judging by the blaster residue seems to be Autobot related."

The second in command shrugged it off and thought it would be close to impossible.

Starscream: "It seems like our enemy came to rescue those new Cybertronians. And even if they destroyed the place, that doesn't mean that there could be proof of it. Once we find something it is of use, then we'll get our answer. If not, then we'll find our answer in our next location."

Knockout: "And if we don't find proof there?"

Scream gave a deep sigh and knew that a failure such as that would lead to some serious consequences with Megatron.

Starscream: "Then Primus help us if we don't please our master."

The search kept on going as the drones looked through the rubble. As the search went on, the commander heard something through the comms as one of the Vehicons contacted him.

 _"Commander Starscream. I think we found something in the building. Come in quickly to see for yourself."_

He heard that and responded through the comm.

Starscream: "I'm on the way."

With that said, he entered the huge building from behind and went down the long hall to see more Vehicons searching around the area. As they were walking through the hall, they entered a section of the building that was a huge warehouse that was completely empty. He soon spotted one of the Vehicons that contacted him and asked about it.

Starscream: "What is it that you found, soldier."

The Con turned to the commander and explained about what they found.

"See for yourself."

The commander looked to him with curiosity and wondered what they got. Walking past him, he spotted a bunch of terminals that were left behind and looked destroyed from what looked like a purge of some kind. Curious by that, he turned to the drone and asked about it.

Starscream: "Exactly what am I looking at?"

The Vehicon looked to him and explained as much as he could.

"We were searching through the building to see what evidence we can find and found this huge warehouse in the area. It looked pretty big and it seems like there was some recent activity within the area as of late. We checked on the room and didn't find anything in particular, but it looks like there were a lot of cables present and there are spots within the warehouse that looked out place. Whatever they were working on in this place, it cannot be good. Though the place was completely empty, they managed to leave behind a few promising findings. One of them is of course is these human terminals that were left there. Pretty sure they have something of importance."

Knockout looked to the terminals and looked at the state they are in.

Knockout: "Yes… Perhaps these human computer could give us an answer. Too bad that most of them were mysteriously destroyed."

Starscream though looked to his and thought of how to bypass that problem.

Starscream: "Perhaps, but Soundwave might recover the data within these terminals. Should take a while, but perhaps we can solve our mystery through them."

He soon turned to Soundwave and asked for that favor.

Starscream: "What do you say, Soundwave. You think you can recover any evidence in these human terminals, giving the state they are in?"

The intelligence officer looked down to the destroyed computers, before turning back with a nod and repeating what Starscream said.

Soundwave: "Soundwave might recover the data within these terminals."

Starscream smirked and was pleased with his answer.

Starscream: "Excellent…"

He soon heard another Vehicon through his audio receptors of anymore news.

 _"Sir, we searched every square inch of this place and didn't find nothing. Any future orders?"_

The commander heard him and turned his comm. on to give him the fallback order.

Starscream: "Return to Nemesis. We got what we need in the building. Prepare to embark to the next location of the unknown energon signatures. Perhaps we'll be lucky and find more proof form there."

He turned off the comm. and turned to the other Vehicons to move the terminals.

Starscream: "The rest of you, gather up any damaged terminals you see and take them straight to the Nemesis. Soundwave needs to recover whatever data within them."

The Con gave a quick salute as they started to round up whatever equipment the previous occupants left behind. At the same time, Starscream turned around and walked back with the medic and Intelligence officer following behind. He already has a devious smile, as he knew that this was the first step of the investigation.

Starscream: "So far, so good. Let's see what else we can find at the next location."

* * *

As that was going on, somewhere in Detroit, John was driving his Harley through the suburban streets with Elsa holding on from behind. The moment they landed in Detroit, their first objective is to find his family. To do that, he needs information of where they are, and after so much research, he knew that his family is somewhere in Detroit, let alone outside it, but there was no address about where they were. However, Raf and Miko were in this city as well as they and their families moved here due to the relocation program when Jasper was invaded. Not to mention the two of them are enrolled in the same high school. If they were there, that means that they could have answers as to where June and Jack was located. The drive was smooth, as the late afternoon traffic didn't begin to manifest. Which leaves him time to get to the school before the dismissal bell. After a long drive, they have finally made it as John saw the wide school building and a sign on the side that says, _'Charter High School'_. Seeing that, he smiled and told Elsa what he found.

John Darby: "This is the place. Charter High."

Elsa looked to the building and was a little skeptic.

Elsa de Sica: "You sure this is where Raf and Miko are located. I mean, I'm pretty sure that there could be another school that has the same name."

John peeked back to her and told her that they were at the right place.

John Darby: "The government report does dictate that their families were moved here to Detroit. So it's obvious that this is the only school that has that name. If there's another one, I should know."

Elsa de Sica: "And how are we going find the two? Giving the school looks big, it's going to take us some time in finding them."

John then headed to the side of the street and parked in front of the school. As soon as he dismounted, he explained what he's planning to do.

John Darby: "I'll go to the Principle's office and ask for them. From there, I will give the two a few questions regarding my family. I'm hoping that they will get me an answer of where they are, since the two know my son really well."

Elsa soon dismounted as well and wanted to come with him. But John stopped her there and told her to stay put.

John Darby: "Elsa, you wait here and keep watch."

Elsa blinked and was confused by this.

Elsa de Sica: "Sir…?"

John explained about the possible scenario.

John Darby: "If Miko and Raf are in this building, then that would mean that Bulkhead and Bumblebee will be coming to pick them up. When they get here, you go to them and ask them about Jack and June. I'm sure they have answers of their own."

Elsa remained silent, as she understood what he wants her to do.

Elsa de Sica: "Understood."

With that said, John headed straight to the school while Elsa waited for any Autobots to come by. Course none of them didn't know is that a lot has changed within Team Prime, most likely between Raf and Miko.

* * *

In one of the classrooms, mostly likely history, the students were learning about the American Revolution while waiting for the bell to ring for the end of the school day. Within the middle of the class, there were two specific students. One is a young boy at the age of twelve with spiky brown hair and glasses on his face, wearing an untuck yellow buttoned shirt and an orange sleeveless shirt over it, baggy blue jeans, and a pair of untied sneakers. The other is a teenage girl of fifteen of Asian decent with her hair in pigtails and a ponytail with pink highlights on one bang and at the tips of the pigtails and is wearing a pink T with a strap blue blouse with a picture of green robot on the front, shorts that is too short with a yellow belt and two small stuff animals on the side, and long combat boots with a pair of dark and medium purple stockings that goes all the way up into her shorts. Those two are in fact Raf and Miko, a hacker and rebel who are both friends of the Autobots. Of course, there's more to them then meets the eye as there were signs of a little fizzle between both of them.

* * *

Out in a back alley that is behind the school, there were certain vehicles that was parked. One is a Scion xB with an orange paintjob; the other is a McLaren MP4-12C with a purple paint job with pink flame decals painted on the sides, hood, and trunk. The two cars are Firewall and Kaosu as they were in vehicle form. One the screens on the dashboard were showing a live feed of the class as they were learning. Well Firewall was learning, Miko though had one screen on the class, but the other is a YouTube video of the latest Slash Monkeys Concert. She was enjoying the video and was tuned into the beat. But as she was watching that, she could hear the hacker through the comm. system.

Raf/Firewall: "Miko? Are you paying attention?"

The Wrecker cadet heard him and snapped out of it, getting the screen back to the class and excused herself.

Miko/Firewall: "Huh…? What?! Of course I'm paying attention, Raf. What else could I be doing?"

Firewall sighed and knew how her way of learning works.

Raf/Firewall: "Besides zoning out of the class and watching more of your heavy metal videos…?"

Kaosu was extremely silent over this and knew that he figured things out too quickly.

Miko/Kaosu: "Was that too obvious…?"

Raf/Firewall: "Yes… Yes it was."

She soon sighed and knew that there was no way out of it.

Miko/Kaosu: "Sorry Raf, it's just that this class is boring. Hell, most of the school here is boring along with staying with my host parents for the night. Why am I suppose to be in those two places when I would've stayed at the base like Jack and his mom? At least they don't have to worry about school or work and the like."

Raf heard her complaints and explained to her the reason why they were doing this.

Raf/Firewall: "Miko, you and I both know that our families doesn't know of what really happened to us. For all they know, we were under protective custody during the Jasper Invasion. That's the reason why Ratchet gave us these hard light holograms in our systems, to convince our families that we are all right and won't know that we have been turned into Cybertronians. To that, we need to act normal and be at school and home, to make them think that we're just human."

Miko groaned and hated that option.

Miko/Kaosu: "I know… I know… We have to make them believe that there's nothing wrong with us and won't be asking any questions. But be honest with me, Raf. Shouldn't it be cooler to let them know what happened to us? Shouldn't it be more awesome that we don't have to worry about school and focus on protecting our home from the Cons?"

Raf/Firewall: "And give them all heart attacks after revealing ourselves? I don't think so."

Miko/Kaosu: "C'mon Raf. It's not like we got nothing else to do around here. Besides, how long do we have to keep this a secret for? Sooner or later, they will get suspicious and when that happens, we have to let them in on the secret."

The hacker heard that and knew that she has a point. Indeed, they have been given holograms to help conceal their secret and harden them into physical entities, but there will be the moment where both families would find out that something wasn't right. Giving a bit of a sigh, he explained as much as possible.

Raf/Firewall: "I'm certain we'll figure out a way in explaining ourselves to them. But when that day comes, we'll keep that secret under wraps."

As soon as the conversation was going on, the two soon heard the teacher on the audio speakers.

 _"Ms. Nakadai…?"_

* * *

Back in the classroom, the holo Miko, who was sleeping on the class the whole way, snapped out of it turned to the History teacher.

Holo Miko: "Uh…! Yes, Mr. Woldorf?"

Mr. Woldorf looked to her with uninterested and asked of her learning.

Mr. Woldorf: "Ms. Nakadai, I understand that you had a traumatic experience with what happened to Jasper, Nevada. But sleeping in my class is no excuse in a tragic incident as that."

The holo projection realized what he was saying as she programmed her holoform to sleep through a couple of classes if she gets bored. But there would be times that the teachers would notice her and would come up with good excuse. This is one of those moments.

Holo Miko: "Oh! No! I was paying attention, I swear! I was just getting a little shut eye is all."

The teacher wasn't buying it as he decided to test her on what they were learning.

Mr. Woldorf: "All right Ms. Nakadai, if you were paying attention, then answer me this. What were the five reasons of why America went to war against the British? I'm dieing to know.

Miko had a blank slate on her face and realized that she zoned out of that part. So she tried to hold back as much as she could.

Holo Miko: "Uh… Well…"

But just before she was in deep hot water, there was a ding and a speaker was heard overhead.

 _"May I have your attention, please. Will Miko Nakadai and Rafael Esquivel please repot to the Principle's office. Miko Nakadai and Rafael Esquivel, to the principle's office."_

Miko heard that and gave a deep sigh of relief.

Holo Miko: "Oh look! There's my cue. Ha, ha… Excuse me."

She immediately dashed out of the class with quick speed as she bolted out of the door. Raf looked on and decided to follow her, getting off the chair and walking normally out of the classroom. The teacher looked to the two leaving and was this close in teaching Miko a hard earned lesson. But that would be for another time.

* * *

Down the hall of the school, the holoforms and Raf and Miko were walking down it as she sighed in complete relief.

Holo Miko: "Phew… That was too close for comfort. I swear, I almost got into detention if it hadn't been for the announcement."

Raf looked to his friend and explained to her of what transpired.

Holo Raf: "Regardless, this wouldn't have happened if you were paying attention in the first place. You know that passing high school is an important part of your future."

The exchange student turned to him and explained who they really are.

Holo Miko: "Uh… HEL-lo! We're now Cybertronians now! We don't need to go to college or get a job. We can go all out and kick some serious Decepticon aft after we get out of high school. That is a major dream job of mine, besides being a rock star. I swear, after we leave this school, I'm going to get my frustration out on training."

Raf rolled his eyes around and was a little annoyed by that part.

Holo Raf: "Why do I get the feeling that Bulkhead and Wheeljack are going to try and keep you down."

He soon started to think of something else as they head to the door leading to the principle's office.

Holo Raf: "What I don't get is why we're heading to the principle's office before the end of the school day? I mean, I understand you in particular, but I haven't done anything wrong."

Miko soon peered her eyes to him and gave a coy grin.

Holo Miko: "Maybe you hacked into a school computers for the SATs to get a higher grade."

The hacker glared at her and didn't like her joke at all.

Holo Raf: "Ha, ha… Very funny…"

The two opened the door and went through the office cubicles before entering the main principle's office. As they opened the door, Miko started to act innocent.

Holo Miko: "Okay… What I did? I should let you know that I'm an innocent in all of this."

Just as she said that, she heard a familiar voice close by.

John Darby: "It's not of what you did, it's what you're going to do."

Miko remained very silent and looked to see who was speaking, sitting there, at the principle desk, is none other then John Darby as he looked to the two with a look of determination. The two looked on in shock as Raf stepped in and was still surprised by it.

Holo Raf: "Mr. Darby? Is that you? What are you doing here? Where's the principle?"

John got up and explained himself to the two, heading down the middle of the room where a bunch of sofas and a table around them were present.

John Darby: "Oh, I told the principle to speak to you two alone after I told him to bring you here for a few questions. Something of a private matter. As for why I'm here, I'm pretty sure you all know why."

He soon sat on the sofa and presented the two the sofa on the other side. The two looked to each other and didn't think that Jack's father would come this soon, let alone be at their school. Miko soon realized something and asked John about it.

Holo Miko: "Wait. If you're here, does this mean Elsa is here as well?"

John smirked and let her that she's around.

John Darby: "Oh, she's here all right. She's already outside waiting for me to finish. Now, shall we begin?"

The two remained silent and was a little worried about him being here. But they have to follow him as they took a seat and tries to pretend that nothing is wrong.

* * *

Back outside the school, Elsa was waiting by the Harley for Bulkhead and Bumblebee to come to the school to pick their human friends up. Looking up to the block, she could tell that it was all ready three and the students burst out of the door to get back to their homes by bus or their own cars. But looking back and forth at the street, she didn't see a yellow and black Cameo or a supped up green SUV. Course, she didn't know that Raf and Miko are in fact Cybertronians and they have their own vehicle modes to drive back. Looking on, she was confused by where they were.

Elsa de Sica: "Odd… Normally the Autobots would pick the kids up by now. I wonder where they? Maybe there's traffic? Obviously, since Detroit is a bustling city."

As she was waiting around, she could hear someone with her advanced ears.

Mitch: "Well, well, well… What do we have here? If is isn't Sumdac's little girl and the dweeby looser."

Sari: "Back off Mitch. We are not looking for any trouble."

Elsa heard that and turned to the direction of the voices to see two of the individuals with three more close to their face. Her guess could be the jocks that tend to push the weak ones around, like what she saw with Raf and Vince back at Jasper Memorial. But looking on, she could see two people that looked different. The first one is a Teenage girl of Indian decent with light chocolate skin, red hair in two pigtails, the most intriguing blue eyes wearing a yellow sleeveless top with a black stripe on the side, a brown long sleeve jacket with a short hem that stops midway to the waste over it, a black choker, faded blue jean with a green belt, a pair of red converse sneakers, and a necklace that has the strangest looking key. Next to her is a teen boy of sixteen with short brown hair and wearing a Strokes T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and a pair of Converse sneakers. Those two were Sari Sumdac and Sam Witwicky, two of the newest human companions of the Autobots. Looking on, she noticed that there was a dispute going on between them.

Mitch: "Oh, what's the matter? The princess of Sumdac Systems doesn't want to hang out with the big boys."

Sam got in front of the Sari and decided to defend her.

Sam Witwicky: "Leave her alone, Mitch. We're just waiting for some friends to pick us up. We don't want to have you and your cronies coming up to us and bully us around."

Mitch looked to him and wasn't amused.

Mitch: "Oh… Is that so? Then why would you be with a rich girl like her then she should be with a guy like me?"

He looked to him and came up with a really good answer.

Sam Witwicky: "Oh, I don't know… Maybe it's because you are a total tool."

Mitch was taken back by it and couldn't believe what he said. That soon escalates to anger as he starts to threaten him.

Mitch: "Oh… A smartass, are you? Well what are you going to do about it? Fight me? You don't have the guts to pick a fight with me. I mean, what was that moto your great grandpa said. No Sacrifice, no victory? Maybe you should change it to, _'Give Up, and Loose'_.

Sam was fuming and really wanted to punch him, but the last thing he wants is to get into too much trouble. But not far, Elsa watched the argument and could tell that this was bad. So much so, that she decided to intervene as her eyes started to glow blue and is ready to take them down easily. But just as she was about to do it, she heard a familiar voice from close by.

Vince: "What's going on down here?"

Elsa heard that and her eyes returned to normal, seeing someone coming close to group. This person is very familiar to her. It was a teen of seventeen with orange hair that went down to his neck and freckles on his cheeks and was wearing a dirty green jacket underneath a plain white T-shirt, faded long blue jeans, and brown combat boots. This person was none other then Vince, a student from Jasper Memorial and all time bully to Jack and his friends. Elsa knew him because on her first visit, she encountered him and his friends bullying Raf and she had to intervene had fought the three of them off by herself. It was a bit rough, but she had to teach Vince a lesson. At first, she thought that she would never see him again. But now he's there and standing there in the different high school. What was he doing there? Elsa blinked and knew that it was a bad thing.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh boy…"

* * *

Back at the principle's office, John was sitting at the sofa as Miko and Raf, their holoforms, took a seat and was still curious about it. Once they've sat, John could tell that they are still confused.

John Darby: "Now I can tell that the two of you are wondering why I'm here and why did I bring you here."

The two looked to each other and was still unsure of what's going on. Raf then looked to him and asked about this.

Holo Raf: "Um… Yeah… You could say that. It's unexpected that you came to us without calling us. Let alone you wanted to speak to us without giving us a proper welcome."

John was silent and explained his reasons.

John Darby: "Normally I would do my normal greeting and talk about how are things with you two. Giving that your families had to move here due to happened to my hometown, I do wish to check up on the two of you if you had been going through some bumps on the road. But that's not the reason why I'm here."

Holo Raf: "Then, what are you here for?"

John raised an eyebrow and looked as though that they have no clue on his unexpected arrival.

John Darby: "You know why I'm here. It's about my family."

The two looked and was quietly surprised by that.

Holo Miko: "You're family? What about them?"

John looked to the two and could tell that they were hiding something, so he kept on asking away.

John Darby: "You know what I mean. I looked to the relocation program that was in place for the evacuees when Jasper was attacked and your names along with your host parents and family have been taken to this city. Yet for some strange reason, my own family wasn't on the list, yet their names are not on the obituary of the Jasper Invasion either. Now I would assume that June and Jack are located within this city, but I don't know of the address, let alone if they are in Detroit to begin with. You two, however, know my son and I'm certain that he spoke to you from time to time. Now tell me, where exactly are my family."

The two looked on and realized why he was there, to find his family. He has no clue what really happened to his wife and son; let alone what Jack has become. So it's obvious that he came to find them. Still, if he found out about what happened, then there would be a lot of questions regarding their changes. They had to find a way in avoiding it and not speak to them of the truth. So Raf was the first one to answer first.

Holo Raf: "Well… You see… Ms. Darby and Jack are outside Detroit, but they are staying with the Autobots."

John heard that and raised his eyebrow over that.

John Darby: "That's a strange one… Normally when people get relocated, they are moved to a new house that would be government funded. I didn't think that June and Jack would be staying with the Autobots. Care to explain why?"

The two remained silent, as they don't know how to approach this. That's when Miko came in and try not to explain the whole truth.

Holo Miko: "Well, let's just say that June and Jack are of much importance of the Autobots as with all of us. See, since Optimus bestowed Jack the Key of Vector Sigma, it's clearly evident that the Cons would target him. Which is why they're staying at the base to ensure they are well protected."

John though wasn't buying it as he kept asking the questions.

John Darby: "That doesn't give them the excuse to keep them from me. Regardless, at least I know that my family are safe and under Autobot protection. Still, I really need to see them, just to see how they're fairing."

The two looked to each other and soon realized what he meant. He wants to see them in person. But giving what happened to them, it could get extremely complicated. So the two argue about it.

Holo Raf: "I don't think it is a good idea visiting them at this time."

Holo Miko: "Yeah! They are still adjusting to living with the Autobots and they do need their privacy."

John Darby: "Not from their husband and father. I have been waiting for any call from them since that Decepticon attack and I haven't heard word since. I first thought that they perished, but thankfully a friend of mine told me that my family is fine, which is strange since my son and wife didn't call me if they were fine. I want to make sure that they are all right, and to do that, I need to see them myself. So giving that they are in the Autobot's new base, giving the old one was destroyed since it was close to Jasper, I want head down there myself. All you need to do is to tell me where the new base is located, if you wish to answer back."

The two looked on and was sweating, even if they were just holograms powered by their vehicle forms. John was asking the serious questions and won't stop until he gets the answer. What are they going to do?

* * *

Back out of the front of the school, Vince was standing there with his arms crossed while the three jocks looked to him with sheer disgust.

Mitch: "Well, well, well… Look who we got here. If it isn't Vinnie the bully with a change of heart. What are you doing on our turf, Vince? Can't you see we are in the middle of something?"

Vince looked to the group then back to Sam and Sari. Seeing this, he smirked and decided to quip him back.

Vince: "That's funny, cause last time I check, this school is for everyone, including these two. So why don't you back off before things get ugly."

The three looked to each other and laughed it off, as Mitch wasn't impressed by it.

Mitch: "Oh… I'm so scared. What are you going to do, Vinnie? Fight me? I hate to say it, but you don't have much fight in you since your hometown was attacked. So why don't you go back to your mommy and daddy and tell on us. Oh… That's right! You don't have a mommy or daddy!"

Vince heard that and was seething over that tragedy. How he could make fun of Vince's family, after what happened to them, when they were killed in Jasper by the Cons, sickens him to his very core. However, he remains cool and collective as he slowly walked to Mitch.

Vince: "You know Mitch, I think we got in the wrong foot. So why don't we have a little chat."

Mitch looked to him with confusion and wondered what he has in mind.

Mitch: "Talk? Heh… All right, what do you want to talk about?"

Vince then got close enough to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

Vince: "See, Mitch, it goes something like this…"

Almost immediately, he grabbed him by the shoulder and held it tightly, he spinned him around until he shoved him to a lamppost and pinned him with his arm into his neck, preventing him from speaking. The two other bullies looked to their friend and realized that Vince still had some fight in him. As he held Mitch tightly, he gave him a serious warning.

Vince: "Listen to me, you pansy. My family perished by those metal bastards, by those cold hearted Decepticons. You have no idea the pain I had to go through. Hell, you have never seen a Decepticon, have you? Well I have, and you have no idea what I had to go through to survive all of that. Hell, if you took on Cons like me, you wouldn't even last a second against them. So let me give you a little warning. You dare pick a fight with me, or mock Sam and Sari here, or the wrath I used against the Decepticons is nothing compared to what I'm going to do. You hear?"

Mitch heard him and was very quiet about it. He wasn't prepared for his reaction after what he said to him. Nor did he ever expect that type of reaction. But that threat? That threat was chilling. Vince could see him getting hesitant as he asked again.

Vince: "I said, do you hear me…?"

Realizing that he had no choice in the matter and gave a quick nod. Vince simply smiles and was pleased with the response.

Vince: "That's just what I wanted to hear."

With one quick fling, he tossed him to the other end of the sidewalk and between his Jock friends. Mitch groaned from the pain and turned his body around to see Vince with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

Vince: "Now leave! And if you pick a fight with these two, you will regret it."

Mitch's friends got him up and dusted himself up. Looking to Vince, he decided to leave it at that before saying something to him.

Mitch: "You know what, Vince? You don't have what it takes to take me on. Come on boys, let's go."

The three soon turned around and slowly walked away. As soon as they left, Sam and Sari approached Vince and was glad that he comes in time.

Sam Witwicky: "Thanks for the help, Vince. I swear, I would've been beat up by those punks."

Vince turned to Sam and nodded in response.

Vince: "Hey, I was like that before Jasper. I had to put these morons in their place."

As soon as he said that, he heard someone from behind that he wasn't expecting.

Elsa de Sica: "So you turned over a new leaf? I didn't think you would have a change of heart after the last time we met."

The sound of that voice made Vince's blood turn cold as he slowly turned to see the last person he wanted to see. That last person was Elsa as she was standing there with her arms crossed and a sly grin on her face. The bully looked to her and uttered the one word that would make the most obvious of sense.

Vince: "Shit…"

* * *

Back in the principle's office, Jack's father looked to Miko and Raf and was still waiting for an answer on where the base is located. Even if Raf and Miko would tell him, there is still the question of what happens when he finally meets his family and they're Cybertronian. Then that could lead to some serious problems. They were very quiet in the whole thing, as John was still waiting for an answer.

John Darby: "Well… What's it going to be? I'm still waiting for an answer."

* * *

In the back alley of the school, Kaosu and Firewall were parked in their vehicle forms and were debating on what to do while the screen of John's face was on their monitors.

Miko/Kaosu: "What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?! If we tell him about where his family is, he will head down there and find them as robots! If we don't, then this will be far worse then detention!"

The hacker turned his review mirror and told him that it was all right.

Raf/Firewall: "Calm down, Miko. We just need to stall him long enough until we can find a way in escaping this predicament."

The Wrecking Cadet turned her review mirror to him and argued on this compliment.

Miko/Kaosu: "News flash, there's no way in escaping this! He's not going to leave until we give him an answer. We won't be able to get out of it! WHAT- DO- WE- DO!"

Firewall gave it some thought and wonder if they can avoid all of this. Just as he was going come up with an answer, they heard a beep on their consoles as the image of Smokescreen next to the live one.

Smokescreen: _"Hey guys! How are things?"_

The two heard that and was surprised by that.

Raf/Firewall: "Smokescreen? Why are you contacting us?"

Smokescreen: _"Just contacting you to let you know that I will be picking up Vince since Jack is a little busy with training with Optimus. Where are you guys?"_

Raf heard that and remembered that Jack would be busy with Prime training. Which is why Smokescreen tends to pick Vince up from school when Jack is extremely busy. Knowing Smokescreen, Raf explained as much as possible.

Raf/Firewall: "Let's just say that we have to… take care of something. We could be running a little late though, since Sari and Sam are waiting for us. Think you can pick them up as well."

Smokescreen heard this and was quiet about the whole thing. Finally, he manages to speak about it.

Smokescreen: _"Not a problem. Don't wait up though, the others need to train you as well since we need all the help with the problems we're facing."_

Raf/Firewall: "Understood."

He soon turned off his comm. as Miko asked about it.

Miko/Kaosu: "What was that about?"

Raf/Firewall: "It was Smokescreen. He's coming to pick Vince up since Jack is going to be training. Told him to pick up Sari and Sam as well since we're going to be stuck here for a while."

Miko groaned through the speakers and knew what that meant.

Miko/Kaosu: "Well, that's just nice. Smokescreen is picking up our friends and we're stuck playing twenty questions with Jack's dad! How are we going to get out of this?"

Raf/Firewall: "Just follow my lead. I'll handle it."

They soon heard John speak to them again.

John Darby: _"You two are awfully quiet. Is there something you like to speak about?"_

The two of them heard it and looked to see the John getting impatient.

* * *

In the office, the holograms of Raf and Miko sat there and was quiet about the whole thing, while John was tapping his finger with disdain. The hacker looked to him and decided to let it out.

Holo Raf: "Let's see… Where do I start?"

* * *

Back outside the school, Vince stood there in shock, as he wasn't expecting Elsa to be back after their last encounter. Both Sari and Sam looked between the two and was a little confused by all of this. The young teenage girl looked to the bully and asked about this scenario.

Sari Sumdac: "Uh… Vince? Do you know who this person is?"

Vince was very quiet by this and decided to give them some information.

Vince: "You could say that… You might say that I've encountered this girl back in Jasper. Never think I see you again."

Elsa smirked and could tell that he wasn't happy to see her.

Elsa de Sica: "Well, I'm surprised that I see you again too. Especially since I beaten you single handily and nearly broke your arm."

The two students heard that and were in complete shock by that news. Sam turned to the bully and was surprised by this.

Sam Witwicky: "You got beaten by a girl? Whoa! Didn't think you get taken down by someone a little younger then you."

Vince cringed and didn't like the sound of his street cred tarnished by that little incident.

Vince: "Yeah… Well… I was caught unprepared."

Sari though turned to the girl and was pleased to see her.

Sari Sumdac: "Nice to meet you. My name is Sari Sumdac. Yours?"

She soon approached her and offered her hand. Elsa looked to her hand and was a little hesitant by it, but decided to be nice and shook it, introducing herself.

Elsa de Sica: "Pleased to meet you. I'm Elsa de Sica."

Sari then introduces the other two students she's with.

Sari Sumdac: "This is my good friend, Sam Witwicky. And I see you've already met Vince, in the most awkward of ways."

Sam gave a quick wave for a hello while Vince turned away to not have a conversation with her. Elsa looked to them and could tell that Vince wasn't all too happy to see her, but he has his reasons why. He soon looked to Sari and remembered something.

Elsa de Sica: "Sari Sumdac… That last name sounds familiar. Is your father Issac Sumdac of Sumdac Systems?"

Sari blinked a little and was surprised that she knew.

Sari Sumdac: "Yeah… My father's Issac. How do you know?"

Elsa warmly smiled and explained about it.

Elsa de Sica: "It was Sumdac Systems that donated all that medical equipment for the Social Welfare Agency to diagnose robotic prosthetic limbs. That donation really paved the way in the continued research for those in need to live a normal life."

Sari tilted her head and remembered about that place.

Sari Sumdac: "The Social Welfare Agency? You mean that charity organization in Italy that provides advance prosthetics for the injured and disabled. You are one of those people?"

Elsa de Sica: "You could say that. I'm sort of one of those patients that was disabled in an accident."

Sari was surprised and couldn't help but to feel happy about it.

Sari Sumdac: "Sweet! Nice to know what my dad's contribution is helping the helpless. You might be really proud of him."

The conversation of the two girls went on as the boys looked to the moment in a little bit of confusion. Vince especially as he was totally bewildered by the arrival of Elsa. Sam got to his side and decided to break this uncomforting moment.

Sam Witwicky: "You know, I understand you make a lot of enemies back in Jasper. But do you really want to take it out on a girl you met once? Not only that, but a girl that's making friends with Sari?"

Vince remained quiet as he decided to put an end to this conversation.

Vince: "All right, fine… We get it. Your dad's company made a real contribution for charity. Congratulations. But we're getting off topic here."

He soon turned to the girl and asked away.

Vince: "What are you doing here? Surely it's not another rematch, otherwise there is an understanding on why you managed to know where I live."

Elsa turned to him and could tell that he was confused by her arrival.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh no, it's not that. In fact, it's something completely different. You recall Jack's dad, right?"

Vince raised an eyebrow and was confused by that question.

Vince: "Yeah… I remember… Why ask that."

Elsa de Sica: "Well, he's looking for his family as they were the many that were able to get out of Jasper. Their names weren't in the obituary, but they weren't even on the relocation list. So John came here to speak to Raf and Miko, asking them where his family is located. You know Jack since you were the bully in the old school, right?"

Vince blinked and realized why she was here. Jack's father is here too and is looking for his family. Course, Vince knows what happened to them as they were turned into Cybertronians and Jack's is the next in line of the Primes. Sari and Sam know this as well as their friends were Cybertronian and living in the school with them in their holo forms. If Elsa and John are here, then that means that they will do everything in their power in finding Jack and June. Once Vince heard the whole story, he remained silent until he spoke up for a moment.

Vince: "Uh… Yeah… I know Jack for a long time. So…?"

Elsa looked to him strangely and finds his response a bit off.

Elsa de Sica: "Well, since you know Jack for a long time, I believe you know where Jack is at. Now, care to explain?"

Now Vince is sweating, as he doesn't want to tell her what really happens. If he tells her, she will demand on the situation. If he doesn't tell her, then it will be round 2 and he knows how it will end. He needs to avoid it, but how? Just then, there was a honk on the horn and the two turned back to see who it is. Coming down from the street, a blue and yellow sports car with stripes and sevens on its side slowly parked its way to the curb and waited for the three humans to get in. That car was in fact Smokescreen as he was doing the favor of Firewall to pick up the three teens. Sari, Sam, and Vince saw him parking and was relieved for the moment.

Sari: "Phew… Saved by the pickup."

Vince soon turned to Elsa and decided to do it for another time.

Vince: "Listen, Elsa is it, I would like to stay around and chat, but a friend of mine is picking me up and I need to be at his house for uh… study group. Think it's all right if we talk about this another time?"

Elsa looked to him oddly and knew that he was just plain lying, giving the way he was acting. But then, she focused on the car and noticed something else off. Sure it's a sleek and fast car, but on the hood, it was showing the Autobot insignia. Could that be another Autobot that came to Earth? And if so, is he with Team Prime? Looking to this car, it gave her a great idea as she looked back to the bully and gave a warm smile.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh, of course. I don't have a problem with that. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Vince looked on and could tell that something was up. After all, the last encountered wasn't a pleasant one. Still, at least he's off the hook for now. So he quickly waved it off and turned to get to Sari and Sam. As the three were walking, Sam looked to Vince and asked what was that about.

Sam Witwicky: "So… You got beaten by a girl…"

Vince glared at him and told him to shut it.

Vince: "Let's not talk about it. And try to keep your voice down. We don't want her to hear us."

Sari then looked to him and spoke about her.

Sari: "This Elsa said that she's with Jack's dad? So why are they here? And how do they know that Raf and Miko are here?"

Vince gave it some thought and didn't like the situation.

Vince: "Don't know… But if Jack's dad is looking for his family, he'll be in for a surprise. If he does find out what really happened to them, then there will be some serious consequences. We would have to keep this a secret, otherwise Jack and his mom will be doing more than a tongue lashing to the three of us."

Of course, none of them didn't know that Elsa is a cybernetic soldier as she overheard everything with her advance hearing. She realized that they are keeping something, but what is the question. Regardless, that Autobot is the only shot in finding out where John's family is located. Pulling something out of her sleeve, she kept it well hidden and slowly crept to the end of the sidewalk. At the same time, the three students entered the sports car that was Smokescreen and buckled up, with the bully in the front and Sari and Sam in the back. Vince looked to empty driver's seat and was pleased he picked them up.

Vince: "Hey Smoke! Thanks for the pick up!"

Smokescreen: "Ha, ha… Don't mention it Vince. With Rodimus busy with Prime training, there needs to be some bot to lend a helping servo. So, who was that you were speaking to? Some new student or something?"

Vince blinked and tried to cover it up as much as he could.

Vince: "You could say that…"

Smoke started the car as Sari asked about their friends.

Sari: "Her Smokescreen, where's Miko and Raf? I thought they should be picking us up after school."

Smoke looked to his dashboard mirror and explained the situation.

Smokescreen: "Sorry to disappoint you two, but Kaosu and Firewall are in the principle's office. Obviously, Miko must've cause some serious trouble and Raf is trying to ease things through."

Both Sari and Sam looked to each other and knew what is really happening. They soon turned to the driver's seat as Sam responded.

Sam Witwicky: "You don't say…"

Soon enough, the sports car left the parking space and drove out of the high school. But as it was leaving, Elsa was standing there, looking at the car driving to her position and gave a quick wave to the occupants inside. But not before Elsa was close enough to the car to implants something on the side bumper. What was implanted was a small chip that was blinking red. Elsa looked back to the car leaving and couldn't help but to smile at her accomplishment.

Elsa de Sica: "Not to worry, Vince. We'll meet each other, soon enough."

* * *

Back at the principle office, John looked on as he listened to the whole story Raf gave him. When he's finished, John finds all of this a little off.

John Darby: "So let me get this straight… The reason why my family hasn't moved into the protection program is that the protection of the two is of major importance with the Autobots?"

Raf nodded and kept going with the story.

Holo Raf: "You could say that. See, Jack is sort of the protector of the Vector Sigma key that Optimus gave him and the team fears that if he was captured and has the key in his possession, it could spell trouble with the team. Which is why he has to stay with the Autobots as long as possible."

John Darby: "And just because my son has to stay with the Autobots, doesn't mean my wife has to stay with them."

The hacker could tell that he's getting suspicious and continued with lying.

Holo Raf: "Well, Ms. Darby didn't want to be home alone and decided to stay with Jack just to make sure he's safe."

John Darby: "Even if it's the case, that doesn't mean that my wife would've called me to let me know that they're safe, instead of leaving me in the dark."

Holo Raf: "Can you blame them. After what happened to Jasper, they can't take any chance. Just think about it. The Decepticons could be tracing any calls from us since the Invasion of Jasper started. If there's any chance the Cons trace your calls to them, they might capture you and Elsa and hold you for ransom. Do you really want to do that?"

John thought of this and knew that he had a point. But he still needed to know one more thing.

John Darby: "All right, I get it. I can't contact them as if I jeopardize the whole team. Yet, I need to see them and make sure that they're all right."

Holo Raf: "Even if I can tell you, it would complicate our location."

John raised an eyebrow and finds that to be a bit off.

John Darby: "Is that so. Well, we went to the old base before the Decepticons invaded my hometown. There wasn't much a problem before hand. I don't see why taking me to their new base would complicate matters.

Holo Raf: "Things change, Mr. Darby. We have to make sure that the team and your family is safe by all accounts."

John Darby: "Then why do I get the feeling that you're keeping something from me? What really happened to my family?"

Raf and Miko looked to each other and could tell that Jack's dad was starting to get impatient. And when he gets impatient, it could spell disaster to both of them. By the time Raf was starting to run out of options, the door opened and the principle stepped in to end the conversation.

"Excuse me, Mr. Darby, but school is over and all the students are out. I do believe that it's a good time to wrap this up."

John turned to him and argued about it.

John Darby: "Really? This soon? I still need to speak to them."

The principle rubbed the back of his head and explained about the situation.

"That might be true… But these two students need to be with their friends after school. Not to mention that we still have a curfew in effect after the invasion. So I believe it's best you let them go for today and continue with the conversation tomorrow. If it's all right with you."

John heard him and looked to the clock realizing that the school day is already over and Raf and Miko need to get going. Taking a deep sigh, he decided to save it for another day.

John Darby: "Okay… We'll discuss about this tomorrow afternoon. Right now, the two of you need to get going. Don't want you here all day with this conversation."

Both Miko and Raf heard him and sighed in relief, knowing that they were too close in telling the truth. The two soon got up and decided to take their leave.

Holo Raf: "Thank you Mr. Darby. We'll see you tomorrow."

The two then turned to door and slowly walked their way out of it. Once they left, the principle looked to him and decided to speak to him of his tactics.

"As much as I appreciate you trying to find your family, it seems like a fruitless endeavor in asking some of my students in school. I get that these two came from the same high school as your son, but that doesn't mean that he's with them. For all I know, your son and wife are somewhere else and your wasting your time on these two."

John groaned as he got up and dusted himself up. He soon turned to him and explained that that's not likely.

John Darby: "Well last time I checked, their names weren't on the relocation list. And if that's the case, then those two students know where they are. I'll see if I try again tomorrow."

"Even if that means keeping them in my office all day?"

John turned away and decided to walk out the office. But not before giving out a one last say.

John Darby: "Even if it means keeping them here forever."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the ally way behind the school, the door to the back opened up and Miko peeked her head to see if anyone is around. Once she noticed the hallway cleared, she turned back and told Raf that no one is around.

Holo Miko: Okay… Ghost is clear."

Soon enough, the holograms of Raf and Miko walked out of the school in the back and started to walk down the ally to get to their vehicle modes. As they were walking, the Japanese student sighed and the glad they got out of there.

Holo Miko: "Phew… That was too close to call. I swear, Jack's dad is really strict with his questions."

Raf though was worried as he knew that the John's arrival could only mean one thing.

Holo Raf: "I'm just a little more concerned with Jack's dad. We haven't seen him since returning to the Social Welfare Agency. And now he's back looking for his family. Don't you think it's a bit of a risk?"

Miko turned to him and thought of her own worse case scenario.

Holo Miko: "A bit of a risk?! Heh… I don't know what's worse. Detention of Jack's dad? Frankly, I would prefer detention then just sit there playing twenty questions with him."

The hacker turned to her and explained to her the real situation.

Holo Raf: "Don't you get it, Miko. Mr. Darby doesn't know anything about what really happened to his family. And now he's searching for them just to see if they're fine. If he sees what really happened to them, then Team Prime would be in serious trouble."

Miko groaned and understood about what is really happening.

Holo Miko: "Please… I know the consequences when Jack's dad finds out. I'm not that stupid. Besides, it's Optimus's problem, not ours."

The two made to their vehicle forms as the back doors opened for them. Once they place their backpacks at the passenger side, Raf decided to keep it a secret to the team.

Holo Raf: "Either way, we better keep this to ourselves and not speak to Optimus about it."

Miko placed her backpack to the passenger side of her vehicle mode and was a little cautious about it.

Holo Miko: "Don't you think that's a bit of a risk? Especially giving that Optimus needs to know about it."

Raf turned to her and explained about it.

Holo Raf: "If we do tell him about it, then he will spread it to Jack and his mom. And you know what that means… It means that it will complicate things for the whole family. If we keep this to ourselves, then Jack and his mom won't be asking anything. Besides, it's not like Mr. Darby would find the new base. The chances of that are slim. Now let's get back to the base. We're already late for training and I have to come up with a good excuse as to why we have taken long in school."

With that said, Raf's holoform fizzled a little until it phased out of existence. The door closed on its own and Firewall started to engine to back up and turned, driving out of the ally to return to the base. Miko watched on as he drove away and gave a deep sigh on the idea.

Holo Miko: "Why do I get the feeling that all of this isn't going to end well?"

Her holoform fizzled and vanished, closing her passenger door and driving back to turn and follow the hacker out of the ally.

* * *

As the two cars were leaving, Elsa still stood in front of John's Harley, looking at her phone and having a smirk on her face. As she was looking at the phone, she heard the door opening close by and look up to see John walking out of the entrance looking a little disappointed. Seeing him looking upset, she asked if something was wrong.

Elsa de Sica: "Judging by the look on your face, I'm assuming that the meeting with Raf and Miko didn't work well."

John approached her and told her of what happened in there.

John Darby: "You think?"

Elsa de Sica: "So what happened? Did you get anything from Raf or Miko?"

John turned his head away and explained himself.

John Darby: "Nothing… I try to speak to them of the where abouts of my family and they haven't given me a straight answer. It's almost like they are avoiding the question entirely."

Elsa heard that and asked on what to do.

Elsa de Sica: "So… What now? What's our next move?"

John Darby: "Well, we could come back here tomorrow and start over from scratch, this time with some more tactics on my questioning. Though I don't' want to go to far. Those kids aren't terrorist and the last thing I want is another bludgeon person, let alone a teen."

Elsa turned away and knew what he meant. The fact that his questioning results in beat ups that could end badly. However, she got through with a way and told him about it.

Elsa de Sica: "Actually, we won't have to question Jack's friends."

John heard that and turned to his girl with a bit of confusion.

John Darby: "What? Have you lost your mind?! I know you are my fratelo in all this, but that's just a serious risk. How the Hell are we going to find my family without questioning the friends?"

Elsa then looked to her phone and responded the best she could.

Elsa de Sica: "Because someone will be taking us to where Jack and your wife is located. Sooner then you think…"

She then looked to him and turned her phone too him. What he saw surprised her as the screen was showing a digital map with a red dot moving someplace. John realized that Elsa managed to place a tracer on a vehicle, that way they can track where the car is going. And since this is an Autobot she placed the tracer, that will make finding his family much easier.

* * *

 **That was a good chapter, and a short one too. Okay… Maybe not that short, but it was really detailed. Plus it also gives a clear detail on how Kaosu and Firewall go to school and stay at their families house without people noticing something really off. But if you guys have some problems with this, I understand. Maybe I should've been more detailed on the explanations. It's all in the matter of filling out some plot holes. Anyways, I've been rambling on, as I need to finish this. So on the next chapter, John and Elsa keep searching for answers on the whereabouts of the family, while the Social Welfare Agency found out about John's absence and Arcee speaking to June what she spoke to Optimus about. How complicated this is going to be. Stay tune to see what's going to happen. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	7. Getting Warmer

**Okay… I know you want to reach the next chapter of this story. But I need to get some things off my chest before I start. This is of course going to be a bit of a rant regarding what transpired recently. So if you don't want to read my personal thoughts on the issue, feel free to skip down to the story that doesn't have the bold font. I do not want a flame wars all over the review page.**

 **Now that that's out of the way… So the election was over and… sigh… I didn't think that it had gone down to this. Giving that we had eight years of Obama Care, a couple of near dept ceilings, a government shutdown, and the rise of Isis, I was kind of hoping for a president that can do a better job then the recent president. But now that it's over, I feel very upset over the whole thing. Giving that after eighteen full months, I never thought that the day that someone like Donald Trump would run for president.**

 **Now, I don't want to say whose side I'm on and not telling whom I'm voting for. I don't want to make enemies on both sides. And trust me when I'm saying this, having Clinton as the next president meant that we would have another four years of the Obama Administration, if worse another eight tops. But let's be brutally honest, Donald Trump, a business entrepreneur and celebrity that has no knowledge or experience in politics, it's a Hell of a lot worse.**

 **I mean, just look at the guy and how he's running his campaign up till the election. All of his promises and ideas when he becomes a president. Building a wall in Mexico to let Mexico pay for it and telling everyone that all Mexicans young and old are drug dealers, criminals, and rapists. He asked of an official ban on Muslims entering the country, which will make the Isis terrorists organization situation worse. Making fun of women, disabled, and a few others. That 3 A.M. twitter. The guy is a complete screw loose. And now he's going to be our next president of the U.S. after what he said and did.**

 **I get it, we needed a change and maybe a new Republican president would make a difference. There were 13 or 16 candidates that want to run as our next president whether they be Ted Cruz or Jeff Bush. But no one didn't decided on those candidates as they were solely focusing on Trump and going for him all the way. And these are the same type of people that, and this is my own personal thought, choose Obama to be a president just because he's a black man. And now most of the states choose Trump to be the next president, because he's a celebrity. Let me say one thing, running for president is a serious responsibility and you need to have the political experience in understanding what our country is going through. Trump doesn't have those experiences and thinks that if this is an easy job, everyone can do it. Hell, I assume the reason why he decided to be the president is just because of the publicity stunt, to have his face on the camera. And that's what Trump is, an attention getter.**

 **Groan…**

 **Look, I know it's early to say what he's going to do since he isn't inaugurated. But I just want to put my own honest opinion on this surprising turn of events, giving that the news media and other officials believed that Clinton would win this election. Not that I'm saying I'm with Clinton, quite the opposite. It's just that a huge majority of people, mostly white giving the center of the states, went for Trump the most. Though I am against what Trump said and would do when he takes the Oval Office, I don't want to take part of the protests that is going on right now. I do believe it's safe to say that we might have to get use to a billionaire in charge of a country. But if he does something that is a complete risk or anything that is against the constitution and country, I will be there saying to everyone, _'I told you so.'_**

 **Now that I got that out of my system, let us get back to this story.**

 **The last chapter is getting good responses. With six reviews and almost 300 hits, it would be another successful episode if done correctly. Though I really need to find a way in getting that guest reader sending me reviews on updating it sooner. Like I really need to spend all day writing these stories for his amusement. But we'll see what happens as this next chapter is shorter than the others.**

 **On this chapter of Transformers Prime season 3, episode four. John and Elsa were getting closer to the Autobots and John's family. Meanwhile, Lorenzo discovered that John left the Agency without any permission, while Arcee speaks to June of what she told Optimus. How things are going to play out, that's up to all of them.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girl**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Getting Warmer

Back as the Social Welfare Agency in Italy, the place was quiet as the agents and their fratello girls were minding their own business, whether it be training or taking leave. However, that peace and quiet was soon going to be interrupted when the voice of the Section 2's director rang throughout the facility.

Lorenzo: "What?!"

Everyone stopped what they're doing and heard their boss through the building and didn't expect that uneventful outburst.

In Lorenzo's office, he was standing up at the desk with his fists on the surface. On the other end, Jose and Jean were standing there as Lorenzo asked what he heard.

Lorenzo: "What do you mean that John and Elsa aren't in the Agency?!"

Jean sighed and explained as much as he could.

Jean: "It was unexpected, sir. John's dormitory was empty when I checked and when I asked Rico to check on Elsa, she wasn't there either. I believe that they could've gone out, but they haven't written the leave papers in the lobby and no one has seen him leave the facility. Best guess is that they left in the middle of the night without speaking to anyone."

Lorenzo sighed and he took a seat at his chair. Rubbing the temples of his head, he gave a deep sigh and was very upset over this.

Lorenzo: "Those two… How hard is it to keep them controlled. And to think that Marco and Angelica was a combustible element recently. Now I got John and Elsa to worry about."

Jean nodded and could understand why.

Jean: "It can't be helped. When John's hometown was attacked by the same threat that hacked into our servers to steal our private data, he had been very irrational and his behavior has caused him to do anything that would be questionable. There is nothing we can do to avoid it."

Lorenzo slouched down and put his elbows on his desk, still seething over the news. With John and Elsa gone, there's no telling what they are doing? Perhaps there is one person that knows the Darby more than anyone else. Which is why he turned to Jose for a bit of questioning.

Lorenzo: "Jose, you know of John during the agency more then any other handler. Can you tell me what happened before he left Section 2?"

Jose turned to Lorenzo and could tell that he's speaking to him for a good reason. Taking a deep breath, he explained half the truth while the other half is a lie.

Jose: "I was just heading to the bar John always go to check on him. I knew that he was distraught since the Jasper Invasion. I tried to comfort him and gave him my words of advice. When I left, that's the last I heard of him. I believe that not hearing a word from his family made him question if they are alive or not. Which is why he must of left, to find some closure."

Lorenzo raised an eyebrow and was a little iffy of that one.

Lorenzo: "Closure… You mean to tell me that he left Italy and headed to the States, just to find out what happened to his family without giving my permission?"

Jose nodded for an answer.

Jose: "I'm afraid so…"

The Section 2 boss placed his head on the palm of his hands and groaned by that answer.

Lorenzo: "Damn it… As if this situation could've gotten worse. Now I have a fratello team leaving with no assignment or permission just to find out about the family, when they damn well know that they could be dead! Can this day get any worse?!"

By the time he asked that, there was a knock on the door as Lorenzo looked up to it, demanding who's there.

Lorenzo: "Who is it?"

The door slowly opened and out popped Bianchi as he peeked to the side and could tell that there's a meeting.

Bianchi: "Sorry… Have I caught you at a bad time?"

Jean looked to him and answered back.

Jean: "You could say that? What do you want?"

Bianchi is having serious stares right at the three and decided to tell Lorenzo what he was holding.

Bianchi: "Sorry for interrupting, but the upgraded leg for Triella has arrived and I need the director's signature before we begin with the operation."

Lorenzo heard that and knew what he meant. Lately, Triella's leg prosthetic was getting sluggish as of late and it was evident with the fight with Pinocchio that she lost. Hillshire requested some improvements to the leg and a new prosthetic would be the only way to help increase her speed. He knew this and was waiting for the signature to come.

Lorenzo: "Not at all. Please come in and I'll sign it. It won't take long."

Bianchi nodded and entered the office with the papers in hand. Placing them on the desk, Lorenzo started to skim through the paper work and started to sign the signatures on the dotted lines. As he was doing it, Jean turned to Jose and continued with the questioning.

Jean: "Is there anything else he said to you before you left? Any clues as to where he would go in the states, let alone finding his family?"

Jose shook his head and told them the honest truth.

Jose: "No… Nothing… John was keeping to himself and didn't want to say anything. I guess he likes to handle things on his own."

Jean turned back and sighed to himself.

Jean: "That's just typical. Since Jasper, he had been distancing himself from everyone. The loss of the family really hits him hard. You and I knew of this when we lost one of our own due to the Republican Faction. Now he is looking for them and thinks they're alive. It's a real stretch when you think about it. Especially since he had been keeping a lot more secrets then we thought."

Lorenzo overheard that and explained about it while writing the signatures for the prosthetic leg.

Lorenzo: "Indeed, John has a tendency to keeping things from us that it's starting to become a serious bother. That one time when we didn't know the hackers who broke into our mainframes and stole sensitive files where actually those aliens is a prime example. Still, I can't have my one handlers keeping secrets from each other. We need to find out what John is up to, before he does something completely stupid. Jose, see if you could call up John, sees where he is."

Jose looked to him and gave a quick nod.

Jose: "Understood."

He soon picks up his cell and speed dial the Darby's number. Placing it in his ear, he waited for the caller to respond. During the conversation, Bianchi overheard it and was a little silent. Mainly because they don't know about Elsa and the condition that she was in with her body shifting into something a bit more advance. He really wanted to speak about it, but he can't, as John's wrath would be far worse than the Agency. But hearing the part where John was keeping secrets, he had to explain about it. But how?

* * *

All the way back in the states, both John and Elsa were staying in one of Detroit's top hotels and were in their room. Elsa was sitting on her bed, looking at the tracer that was following Smokescreen's every move while John was standing in front of her, quite surprised by her actions.

John Darby: "A tracking device? How convincing. I didn't think you could pull a fast one there, Elsa."

The girl looked up to her handler and had that grin on her face.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh… Just something you taught me before. Find a suspicious character, than tag him to lead us to a stronghold. That's how we handle business, am I right."

John nodded and decided to ask on how she managed to pull it off.

John Darby: "Quite right… Still, how did you know that who we're looking for is one of the Autobots?"

Seeing his suspicion, she decided to explain why she knew what to look for.

Elsa de Sica: "Just two things that gave me the lead. First of all, you remember Vince, right?"

John blinked and remembered that teen.

John Darby: "You mean that bully in Jasper that has been picking on my son and his friends? The same one who you nearly broke his arm?"

Elsa nodded and continued.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes… Him… Well, turns out, he was n the same school Raf and Miko was relocated and he sort of changed a new leaf. Now he's protecting students from other bullies and started to warm up on me."

John blinked and was surprised by that news.

John Darby: "Vince is here in Detroit, and he's changed. That's something I didn't expect. Wonder why?"

Elsa remembered what Vince said and explained about it.

Elsa de Sica: "From what I heard from him speaking to the bully, or threatening by the looks of it, he stated that his entire family were killed by the Decepticons when Jasper was invaded. Didn't went into the details, but it seems that the loss of his family devastated him to the point that he believes that there are bigger bullies that do more than taking lunch money."

John looked away and felt guilty for him.

John Darby: "So Vince lost a lot of people close to him. I can relate. Now he's somewhat of an antihero protecting the innocent. Guess a lot can happen when your hometown gets wasted by aliens."

He soon looked back to Elsa and still didn't get his answer yet.

John Darby: "Still, that doesn't explain anything about how you managed to place a tracer on one of the Autobots."

Elsa heard him and continued on with the story.

Elsa de Sica: "I'm getting around to it. Anyways, when I asked about the whereabouts of Jack, a car came in to pick them up. From what I could piece together, it looked like a blue and yellow sports car with sevens on the sides and is sleek in design."

John looked to this and was confused by it.

John Darby: "So, you're telling me that Bumblebee or Bulkhead weren't there? How did you know that the sports car is an Autobot?

Elsa de Sica reminded him of the one thing that caught her attention.

Elsa de Sica: "Well, I saw the Autobot emblem on the hood of the car. So I know that car was in fact an Autobot. From what I can put together, it would seem like Team Prime had a new member after we left the states."

John crossed his arms and wasn't sure of this.

John Darby: "You sure that Autobot was with Team Prime, or is it with another team we don't know about?"

Elsa shrugged it off and told him that it was the only shot.

Elsa de Sica: "Look, all I know is that this Autobot could be our one shot in finding your family. Besides, I don't think there are other teams on this planet to begin with. I just hope this bot doesn't notice the tracer before I could get an exact location of the Autobot base."

John heard that and decided to trust her on her plan. Just then, he heard his phone ring and was curious by who's calling. Getting his phone out, he checked the ID and realized that it was Jose. He looked to it and wondered why he's calling. Looking to Elsa, he told her to check on the car.

John Darby: "Keep close watch on the tracer and let me know if there's an exact location to their base. I need to take this call right now."

Elsa heard him and nodded.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes, John."

She looked to her phone to see where the Autobot is going. Meanwhile, John answered his call and contacted Jose on the other end.

John Darby: "Hey, Jose. What's up?"

He waited for a response as he heard Jose on the other line asking something.

Jose: _"John, where are you? You left the Agency and didn't write down the leave slip."_

John heard that and tried to cover it up as much as he could.

John Darby: "Just on a bit of a vacation. You know, just to clear my head. Why you ask?"

Jose: _"Well, it's because Lorenzo noticed that you are absence and you didn't give us any indication as of why."_

John blinked and realized why Jose was calling. Because the director of Section 2 is upset about when he left the SWA without a reason. Knowing this, he explained to Jose on the real reason.

John Darby: "Jose… You know damn well why I left the agency. To find my family. After all, you did say that my family is still alive after you discovered it in the obituary list. I need to find them to make sure that they're all right."

Jose was very silent over this and decided to explain to him that this was a fruitless endeavor.

Jose: _"John, I get it. You really need to see your family and make sure that they're safe. But you can't just force yourself into finding them. They need some time to adjust before they could speak to you again."_

John heard that and didn't like the sound of it.

John Darby: "Didn't you told me that I have to find the answer of why my family hasn't spoken to me since the invasion myself? Well, that's just what I'm going to do. Looking for answers. I've been waiting for almost a month now and I can't take it anymore. I need to find my wife and son and see if they're all right."

Jose: _"But that doesn't mean that you could leave without permission. If you did, than I'm afraid of what the consequences are going to be for you and Elsa."_

John sighed and decided to take that risk.

John Darby: "Than if that's the case, do me a quick favor. When you see Lorenzo, tell him that I'm ready to face whatever punishment he has when I get back."

He soon hung up the phone and was a little upset about that call from the start. Elsa looked to him and was confused by that call.

Elsa de Sica: "Who was that?"

John turned to his girl and explained about it.

John Darby: "That was Jose. He was speaking to me about Lorenzo getting upset that we left without any permission. I'm certain that he overheard that through the conversation by the sound of it."

Elsa heard this and was a little skeptic about it. That's when she decided to say something about it.

Elsa de Sica: "Maybe we should return to the agency and explain our actions to the director in person."

John turned to her and was in a bit of a shock.

John Darby: "And stop searching for June and Jack, knowing that we are getting close to them? I don't think so. We need to find my family and make sure that they are all right. Once we find them, we'll head back to the agency to explain what we did."

Elsa de Sica: "And if they decided to punish us?"

John Darby: "We'll worry about that later. Right now, we need to focus on June and Jack. So, how's it looking on your end? Did that Autobot sports car stopped someplace?"

Elsa looked to her phone to check and see if there was any movement. Once the tracer stopped moving, she was a little confused.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes, John. The car has stopped, but it is weird."

John raised an eyebrow and asked her to continue.

John Darby: "Go on…"

Elsa de Sica: "Well judging by the trajectory between the city and the base, along with a few other stops, I've concluded that the Autobot that was at the school has stopped… here!"

She then turned her phone to him to show the screen. When the Darby looked to it, he was intrigued by the red dot that was in the middle of…

John Darby: "Lake Eerie… That doesn't seem right. Are you sure that the tracer isn't on the fritz?"

Elsa looked to the phone and tapped it, knowing it's working.

Elsa de Sica: "No, sir. The tracer is operating at 100%. It would seem that the base of operations for the Autobots is located somewhere in Lake Eerie, not to far from here."

John rubbed the back of his head and was confused by this.

John Darby: "But that's a lake we're talking about here. How is it possible that my family would be there when it's impossible to breathe underwater? Unless, of course, that they somehow developed gills or something."

Elsa thought about it and came up with a conclusion.

Elsa de Sica: "Maybe they are not in the water. Maybe, they could be beneath it. Remember that the Autobots last base was within a missile silo in disguise as a dessert mountain. It's strongly obvious that there could be a base underneath the lake."

John Darby: "You sure that it is possible."

Elsa de Sica: "It could be. We just need to be sure if what we're looking for is accurate."

John looked back and rubbed his chin, deciding on taking the difficult approach.

John Darby: "Looks like we'll be hitting the books tonight."

Elsa nodded and looked to the phone to see the tracer still blinking in the middle Lake Eerie, wondering if the lead she found would be what they're looking for.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the base under the lake, Smokescreen was walking through the halls to check on stock at storage, making sure that there is enough energon for a while before they head back on scouting. He doesn't know that there the tracer was located on back right pede where the bumper use to be. During his walk, he soon bumps into Arcee, who was walking by thinking of something. As the two bumped into each other, Smoke backed away and apologized.

Smokescreen: "Whoa! Arcee! Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

The femme looked to him and nodded in response.

Arcee: "I'm fine Smoke, just have a lot on my processor is all. Speaking of which, have you seen Altra? There's something I want to tell her."

The former Elite Guard nodded and told her where she is.

Smokescreen: "I remember seeing her with Ratchet in the medical wing. Probably checking the stats of the protoform arm the doc needs after what that Predacon did to him."

Arcee heard that and nodded, wanting to check on her.

Arcee: "Thanks, Smokescreen. Really appreciated that."

She soon walked past him and headed to the medical wing to find Jack's mother while Smokescreen looked on and wonder.

Smokescreen: "Hmm… Wonder what Arcee is up to…"

After thinking about it, he soon brushed it aside and went on with his business.

Smokescreen: "You know what? Scratch that… I'm certain it's a femme thing. Don't really want to get involve into that."

As he was heading to storage, Arcee walked through the hall and headed to the door leading to medical. Taking a deep breath, she took a step closer and the door swooshed open, where she entered the medical side of the base. Walking past the recovery berths, she soon entered the lab portion where there's the stasis chamber to help heal wounds, a couple of terminals, and glass beakers that are used for creating replacement limbs. One of the beakers was filled with energon and has what looks like the arm of Ratchet that looks almost done in repairs. She soon sees Ratchet and Altra as the beaker looking at the diagnostics.

Ratchet: "Well, nurse? Any progress on the repair of my arm?"

June looked to the monitor to see that everything is running smoothly.

June/Altra: "Looks like your arm is nearly completed. The repair nano bots are almost done in recreating your protoform arm and would begin laying on the armor. I say it would take less than a week until it's fully ready."

Ratchet heard that and was pleased with the news.

Ratchet: "That's good to hear. With Optimus's recovery almost done, it would give me more time in getting through with my operation. Being stuck with this prosthetic really slogs my work. I'm hoping that this new arm will make things run smoothly around here."

As the two were looking into the diagnostics, they didn't notice Arcee behind her. That was until she cleared her throat just to get their attention. The two heard her as they turned to see her standing there for some reason. Ratchet saw her and asked about her presence.

Ratchet: "Arcee. Surprised to see you here. What brings you to the medical wing? You want a quick check up or something?"

Arcee just shrugged it off and told him that she wanted to speak with Altra.

Arcee: "No, it's nothing Ratchet. I just need to speak to June for a moment. It's a private thing."

Ratchet looked to her oddly and finds that to be a bit much. But he brushed that aside and let Arcee have Jack's mother.

Ratchet: "Fine… Just make it quick. I still need her help on a few things."

Arcee nodded and turned to the nurse for a quick favor.

Arcee: "Altra, can I speak to you?"

June looked to the two-wheeler and wondered what she wanted. So with a bit of hesitation, she approached her and the two left Ratchet with his work. As soon as they were away from the doctor, Altra looked to Arcee and wondered about what she wanted.

June/Altra: "So, what is it you wish to speak about?"

Arcee turned to her and explained what she did.

Arcee: "Remember when you told me of your husband's birthday coming up? Well I spoke to Optimus about it and told him that Jack needs to clear his head."

June raised an optic ridge and was a little unsure.

June/Altra: "Okay… And the reason you're telling me is because…"

That's when Arcee explained what she wants to do.

Arcee: "Because I was thinking that maybe Jack could get a break from training and we all go out for a little bit to blow off some steam. Get whatever is bothering him out of his system. It seems like the best way to get him out of this funk he's in just now."

June starred her down and was worried about it.

June/Altra: "I'm not sure… You think it's wise to have Jack out with us just to help him relax on the whole situation. I mean, it's awfully close to John's and Kevin's birthday."

Arcee lifted her servos up and tried to reason with her.

Arcee: "I know… I know… It's a bit too rushed. But we cannot stand idly by while my partner, your son, is getting depressed over this. We need to find a way in help him out, otherwise, there's no way he would get out of this issue. So are you with me?"

June was quiet and gave it some serious thought. She didn't want to get involved with Jack's problems. But as a mother, she needs to make her only child happy. Plus Arcee doesn't like to see her partner feeling very upset over something like a birthday of his father and late uncle. So thinking this through, she came up with a decision.

June/Altra: "All right, I'll help you. If it means getting Jack out of his predicament, then I'll do whatever you want me to do. When do we start taking him out for a break."

Arcee smiled and told her the plan.

Arcee: "First thing early in the morning. It should give us plenty of time to let Jack take his processor off of his problems and to talk him out of this."

June nodded and they thought of what to plan for the young Prime. Course, what they didn't know if that two individuals would be visiting them soon. And those two are part of the Darby family.

* * *

Returning to Detroit, John and Elsa were at the Public Library near Wayne State University doing a little research. That said research is finding out about Lake Eerie. Elsa was at the table reading through Detroit's history. Meanwhile, John was returning with more books about certain lake history.

John Darby: "Well, that's all the geological books that could help. Though I think this is going to be a bit much for finding out about the lake."

Elsa looked to him and explained about it.

Elsa de Sica: "Before going on missions, we need to gather solid information of where we're going and what we're up against. It is something we learn from the Agency."

John rolled his eyes and reminded her of what they're doing.

John Darby: "You do realize that this is a reunion tour, not a life or death mission."

Elsa de Sica: "True… But where ever we go, it's always a mission."

John sighed and could tell that she learned well.

John Darby: "Ah, Elsa, I have taught you well…"

He soon placed the books on the table as she continued to study through it. For hours on end, they have continued looking into the lake to see what information they have. After a long and hard look, Elsa noticed something and told John about it.

Elsa de Sica: "Interesting…"

John looked to her and asked about it.

John Darby: "What did you find?"

Elsa looked to him and showed him.

Elsa de Sica: "Take a look at this."

John got to her side as she explained about it.

Elsa de Sica: "Looks like Lake Eerie has an underground fallout bunker, big enough for most of the city of Detroit."

John Darby: "What? Are you sure?"

Elsa de Sica: "Positive. It says here that this fallout shelter was built during the Cuban Missile Crisis, in an event that nuclear war happens. When the crisis was adverted, the shelter was abandon and used as storage for the military. Looking at the mapping of the shelter, I would assume that it's big enough for Cybertronians to walk around."

John looked to the mapping of the construction and was intrigued by it.

John Darby: "Big, underground, and makes it impossible for the Decepticons to find them. How convenient for the Autobots. The only question is how to get in."

Elsa looked to the mapping grid for the fallout shelter and told him that there are a few ways.

Elsa de Sica: "There are ways in getting in. All around Lake Eerie are sub entrances that lead to the underground fallout shelter. All of which are disguised as regular everyday businesses. If we could go into the one close to the city, than we'll take that entrance into the fall out shelter. And the closest one from here is fifty miles west."

John looked to the map and could tell that they have finally got their objective.

John Darby: "Looks like we got our location of the team after all. By this time tomorrow, we can finally see my wife and son in no time. But right now, let's get some rest. We need it if we are to meet up with them."

Elsa looked to him and nodded as she started to clean up and call it a night. As she picked up the books and brought them back to their proper shelves, John stood there and looked to the fallout shelter on the book and talked to himself.

John Darby: "Don't worry June and Jack; soon we'll be together again. Very soon…"

* * *

 **That ends the seventh chapter. This one, or course, was much shorter than the others. But I guess that isn't much to share, giving that the summary is what this chapter describes. I certain there will be more of these until I reach the one that would be action focused. You will see it as soon as possible. Until than, stay tune for the next chapter as John and Elsa made it to the base and demand the whereabouts of June and Jack. Have a Happy New Year! #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	8. Demanding Answers

S **o… I just saw the trailer for the new Transformers movie, The Last Knight and my response… Well… I'm not very hyped by this. Let me explain.**

 **See, when the first Transformers movie came in 2007, I was stoked to see an actual movie coming out. I did enjoy the movie, but when I watched it a bit more, I could tell that Michael Bay rarely care of the franchise and use this as an excuse to make a military movie where humans are the heroes and the Autobots were just there for background. Sure I enjoy the movie, but I wish that there would've been more of it. Especially since the next two movies were still good, but copy and pasted to annoy the Transformers fans.**

 **Now Age of Extinction did fix up a few issues, and was mostly Transformers focus and we don't have Sheila Buff. But it still had the flaws that shouldn't have been there. Mainly the human military are now the bad guys, the Apple parody of the knock off Transformers, and the useless boyfriend that should've been there in the first place. And the situation does get worse when you kill off Ratchet of all bots, which pisses off a lot of fans! And this isn't new, oh no! During the franchise, they killed off Jazz, Ironhide, and Wheeljack and I'm pretty sure more of them got killed off in between those films. And by seeing the trailer for the new movie, my optimism is really starting to annoy me when you see Optimus attacking to Bumblebee and looks like he was going to kill him. … I'm not happy about this.**

 **Just looking back, the Transformers franchise is going through a terrible few years. We had that Age of Extinction movie that no one wanted, the mishandling of Robots in Disguise on Cartoon Network (#WherearetheGoodCartoons?), and now this movie. It's almost feels like the franchise is on life support and this movie would start pulling the plug if it's going to be another flop. Will I watch the Last Knight? I would like to see the transformers and coming up with ideas for my own third season. Still, I feel like this is going to be a disaster just like the other Transformers movies. But hey, Age of Extinction was a slight improvement, just a slight. Maybe this movie would deliver my expectations and probably would be better than the last one. Fingers cross on that one.**

 **So the last chapter has some good responses. While it's around 250 on my hit counter, the reviews were down to two. There were more reviews, but that's just the guest reviewer annoying me with his update chapter nonsense. For crying out loud, I can't stand that guy anymore. At least I can delete them from the monazite section; otherwise it's getting clogged with that mess. Still, this bastard wouldn't give up. I just hope FanFiction support has a way in removing annoying guest reviewers; otherwise I won't be able to survive another one of those update chapter requests.**

 **So on this chapter of the new version of Transformers Prime Season 3, John and Elsa managed to get to the new base and demand where June and Jack were located. Course, with the two already left, how will Optimus manage to keep what really happened to them in the dark? The situation got worse as Starscream is still searching for answers regarding the newly created Cybertronians. What will he find?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girls**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Demanding Answers

Somewhere between North and South Dakota, the aftermath of the Morrison Damn was still present as it was abandoned and deemed not safe. Of course, there was a bunchy of intruders there as a huge flagship was hovering over the area. Throughout the dam, Decepticons were scanning the place to find any clues. Right in the middle of the search, Starscream and Knockout looked at the destruction of the dam and was quite in awe by the sight.

Knockout: "My… This is quite a view. Wonder what happened to this place."

Starscream looked to this and had a few ideas.

Starscream: "My probable guess, the humans were very careless and nearly destroyed themselves. Such inadequate structures… These fleshies and their buildings are nothing compared to Cybertronian engineering."

Knockout though looked around during the search and was a bit confused.

Knockout: "Still, what are we doing here? I get that this is the location of the multiple energon signatures, but it seems that this looks completely extreme."

Starscream looked back and was a little unsure of this as well.

Starscream: "Well, this is where we have to go. And looking at the end result, it seems like someone was using it and setting it up as their own base. Hmph… Guess how well that ended for them. At least Soundwave hacked into in the military and gives the all clear for these humans while he looks at the recovered servers we got from our last location. I don't want those human soldiers involved in our investigation."

As he ended the conversation, two Airadicons approached the two as one of them explained their findings.

"Commander Starscream, we investigated the area and made a few discoveries."

Scream turned to the two, intrigued with what they found.

Starscream: "Go on…"

The first one stepped forward and begins his findings.

"Investigating the inside of the dismantled dam, we discovered that someone created a base within the walls. It appears that they have rooms involving command center, a holding cell, and a lab of some kind, along with what looked like a training course to train. Whoever built the area seemed to be prepared for battle."

The second one stepped forward and discussed about the outside.

"Also, my team is searching the outside and notice that there was once a battlefield with military vehicles strewn about. Due to the heavy damage and burnt marks, it seems that the Autobot, Wheeljack, must've been in the middle of it."

The two listened to them as Knockout scratched his chin in curiosity.

Knockout: "So the Autobots were here. Seems like whoever they were facing put up a serious fight."

Starscream: "Yes, especially Wheeljack. I shoot down his ship and yet he's still kicking. Those Wreckers are tougher than I imagined."

The two Vehicons looked at each other and wondered how to approach this next piece of news. One of them turned to the commander and spoke of the other thing.

"There is one more thing that we would like to share, but… I think you need to see if yourself."

Starscream looked to him in a bit of confusion and decided to see what the Cons have found.

Starscream: "Show me?"

The two nodded as they took the lead as the commander and doctor followed behind. As they were walking a little, they spotted what looks like a small group of drones looking at something. One of the Airadicons turned to the commander and showed him the way.

"Over there…"

Starscream looked back and forth and decided to check on what they want him to see with Knockout behind him. As soon as they got past their armada, they stopped and were surprised by what they saw. Leaning on a turned over tank is what looks like a green drone with what looked like a mask like helm. It looked like this drone was terminated, as there was a deep gash and dried energon spilled out, green energon no less. That drone was one of the MECHicons as Wheeljack attacked it a while back. The commander looked to the dead drone and looked back to ask about it.

Starscream: "What exactly am I looking at?"

The Airadicon got behind him and explained about it.

"We don't know, however it looked like it was some kind of drone that we have never seen before. Certainly not one of our own and it doesn't have any decals on them. And judging how fresh it looked, it was dead for quite a while."

Knockout bent down to get a closer look at it and finds it similar to a certain Autobot.

Knockout: "It does look like Bumblebee, but the armor color is green and there's a metal human equivalent of a gas mask. Definitely not an Autobot either as there's no decal of our enemy either. Wonder who could it be?"

Starscream checked the body and was curious about it as well.

Starscream: "Don't know… But it seems like there is some type of proof that there is a third party in the works. What we need is who is this third party? Though Soundwave can recover the damaged data, this could help give us some clear light at the situation."

He turned back to the Cons and told them to carry this body.

Starscream: "You two, take this dead shell and bring it to the Nemesis's medical wing. I need Knockout to examine the body."

Knockout heard that and turned to him for answers.

Knockout: "Wait! Me?! Why do I have to check on that doppelganger?"

Scream turned to him and explained about it.

Starscream: "Because you are the medical doctor of this faction. And since you are good with breaking things than making, you could look into this unknown and see what we're up against. Now report to the Nemesis and begin the check up!"

Knockout heard that and decided to do what he said.

Knockout: "Fine… I'll do what you say. At least I don't have to worry about working on humans. Their fleshy bodies… Eww…"

He turned to the others and told them to carry the body.

Knockout: "Well, you heard him! Get that body to my medical wing! Chop, chop!"

The two drones nodded and approached the body, picking it up and carrying it to the Nemesis with the doctor following behind. As they were leaving, Starscream watched on and was getting worried.

Starscream: "So we finally got some evidence. I just hope this will be enough to pleas Megatron. The last thing I want is to be banished again if this won't be good enough proof."

He soon walked away and followed the doctor, as everyone was finishing with the search and returning to the Nemesis.

* * *

Meanwhile, it was a bright morning at Lake Eerie as within the Autobot base, everyone was busy with their own thing. Raf and Miko headed to school for another day a studying. Smokescreen and Bumblebee were out looking for more energon. Bulkhead and Wheeljack were on patrol on the Jackhammer. And Ratchet was at the medical wing checking to see if his new arm he needed has any problems. But from Optimus, Arcee, Rodimus, and Altra, they were at the command center as the Prime told the trainee of what's going to happen today.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Whoa… Hold on, teach. You want me to get a break for today? I don't know… I feel like I should use a bit more training, since I'm not in full control of my Prime state."

Optimus nodded as he told him that it was for the best.

Optimus Prime: "Rodimus, I understand you really need to be at full control of your Prime state. But having you train most of the time won't be good for your own health. I do believe a day off would ease your worry."

Jack soon turned to Arcee and his mom and was still confused by that. He turned back and explains about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I get it. I need to get a breather from all this training. But why would my mom and girlfriend have to be with me? It does seem a little weird, even for me."

Optimus look to the two as they silently gesture him to go on. So he did and tried to make a quick lie about it.

Optimus Prime: "I thought it be nice for you to be with some company. And what better company than with those that are close to you?"

Jack looked back to them and was still suspicious about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "That still feels weird to me. I mean, me and Arcee, I understand. But mom? That sounds like too much of a handicap to me. Erm… No offence, mom."

June gave a coy grin to her son and told him that it was all right.

June/Altra: "None taken, son. But Optimus does have a point when it comes to your well-being. And what better way then to have us for company. After all, we are a family."

Arcee looked to her and told her that she's almost one.

Arcee: "Mostly…"

June peeked to her and rolled her eyes around.

June/Altra: "Besides, we never had much time together since I was at work and you are with the Autobots. Might as well join you guys for a bit of patrolling."

Jack listened to her and decided to let that part slide.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I suppose having you along won't be that bad."

Arcee than stepped ahead and told him that it will be all right.

Arcee: "Come now, partner. It won't be that bad. We'll be driving around all day and we'll return tonight. It might help you get your mind out of what's troubling you lately."

Jack looked to his partner and thought that maybe she was right about one thing.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I guess you have a point. I've been a little out of it as of late and I could use some fresh air for a while."

Optimus listened in and decided to let them go.

Optimus Prime: "Then it's settled. The three of you will be out on patrol for today. Just be sure to return for tonight. I'm certain after a bit of rest, you'll be back for training at full capacity."

Cee turned to the Prime and told him that everything will be all right.

Arcee: "Don't worry, Optimus. We'll make sure that he's safe. C'mon Jack, let's roll out."

Rodimus turned to her and nodded in agreement. The three soon turned to the ramp heading out and transformed into their respective vehicle forms. They soon drove out of the command center and up the ramp that will take them out of the base. As soon as they left, Ratchet returned to the command center and witnessed the whole thing. He soon approached him and asked about this idea of his.

Ratchet: "You're sure this is a good idea?"

Optimus turned to him and was confused about what he said.

Optimus Prime: "I'm sorry… What?"

Ratchet sighed and spoke differently.

Ratchet: "About having the young Prime to get a break after all that training. I know he's young, but he also needs to keep his Prime ability in check. Especially what happened in Detroit not too long ago."

Optimus sighed and knew that he could be a bit worried about that. So he spoke to him and told him that everything will be fine.

Optimus Prime: "I understand of your concern with young Jack's ability, but there is nothing to worry about. Though he has a destiny set for him, he is still young and needs to be himself and not a Prime."

Ratchet: "And that's my problem! Rodimus is young and he won't control his Prime ability if he doesn't train to control it!"

Optimus lifted his hand and told him that other side of things.

Optimus Prime: "But he was once human before MECH took him and turned him into us. He still has responsibilities as a human. With being Cybertronian, it's difficult for him to balance between the two. Which is why he needs to keep himself in check and being with Arcee and Altra would help him clear his thoughts."

Ratchet looked down and was still hesitant about it.

Ratchet: "Still…"

The Prime soon placed his servo on his shoulder and told him that it will be fine.

Optimus Prime: "Give it some time. I'm certain this little break will clear his processor and help him be a better Autobot, human, and Prime."

He soon walked away, still limping a little, while Ratchet looked back and wasn't all right with all of this.

Ratchet: "I hope you are right about this one, Prime. Cause I don't know if he is ready for as strong an responsibility in taking your mantel."

He soon headed to the command area to scan for possible Cons, not aware of what's going to go down.

* * *

Back outside, the lake was quiet as there wasn't a soul around it. At the boating warehouse, the doors opened up and Jack, June, and Arcee drove out of it, hitting the road and going on patrol. But as they were leaving, someone else was heading down another road near Lake Eerie and was looking for something. On that road is a Harley Sportsmaster and on it is John and Elsa. They were riding down the road, looking for one of the entrances to the Autobot base that was under the lake. As they were driving, Elsa looked to the map they have and checked if they were close. John though was driving as he looked back to Elsa for a bit and asked if they are close.

John Darby: "So, are we getting any close?"

Elsa looked to the map and checked if they are getting to the entrance. Looking up the road, she could see a rusted sign that says _'Gas: Next Exit'_.

Elsa de Sica: "Just about there. We just need to take this exit and we'll be on the right path."

John nodded as he drove down the road and found the exit she was referring to. After a mile and a half, he saw a rusted sign above that has _'Gas'_ on it and a sign pointed them to a beaten down path. Seeing this, he turned to the right and entered the path that has a wide turn that goes to the left. As they entered the run down path, Elsa looked to him and asked what he's going to do.

Elsa de Sica: "So… What's the plan?"

John heard her and looked back through the review mirror, wondering what she meant by that.

John Darby: "Come again?"

Elsa de Sica: "I mean, what are you going to do when you see your family again. I know it's been a while since you last saw them, and we don't know how they will respond to see you after all that time."

John sighed and decided to let her know of the plan.

John Darby: "Well, giving what we all had to go through, I'm certain that they will be surprised by my unexpected arrival. But I'll say hi to them, speak to them, see how things are going. Why they haven't spoke to me after our hometown was attacked. Normal type of conversation. Nothing special. At least they will know that I haven't forgotten about them and they haven't forgotten about me. What about you? What are you going to do when you see my son?"

Elsa thought about it and decided on what to do.

Elsa de Sica: "Let's see… Well, I can always speak to Jack at how are thing as well. See if he's not busy and we can go out. Perhaps Arcee will take us for a ride like last time. Let's just hope that no Decepticon get involves attacking us."

John chuckled and remembered about that. When Jack and Elsa were driving through the Nevada dessert and Dreadwing attack them and kidnapped Elsa. Which than led to a rescue mission to save her and recover the hacked information they took from the Agency.

John Darby: "Yes… How could I forget about all that? Regardless, I think he won't mind hanging out with you when we get there. Pretty sure he's not busy with anything at all. I mean, why else is he not in school with Raf and Miko in the first place?"

Elsa could hear his frustrations and told him that everything will be all right.

Elsa de Sica: "Hey, don't beat yourself over this. I'm certain that they will be happy to see you again. Just don't loose hope."

John looked back to her and thought that she was right on that.

John Darby: "Yeah… I guess you're right. Let's just see if we can find them."

So the two kept on driving until they reached their destination. After a bit of riding, they stopped and spotted what looked like an abandon gas station that was near the shores of the lake. Seeing this, Elsa told him that it's the place.

Elsa de Sica: "There! That's the place!"

John could see the gas station and entered into the area just to park. Once the bike is at the station, the two dismounted and took their helmets off to observe the station. What they saw is that this gas station was built in the fifties with the fifty style architecture and gas pumps. But by the looks of it, it was abandoned for a long time and it looks like it's in complete disrepair. Rust is shown across the exterior, glass in the station is shattered, and the pumps look like they haven't been operating for a long time. There was also a 60's car that was parked to the side and it looked like the elements have took over with rust on the surface, flat tires, and stained filled glass. Looking around, John could tell that this isn't going to be easy.

John Darby: "Man… What a dump… Are you sure this is the right place?"

Elsa looked to the map of the many entrances to the fallout shelter under lake Eerie and knew they were at the right place.

Elsa de Sica: "I'm positive… This entrance was disguised to make it look like a gas station, but used as one of the entrances for people to get into the fallout shelter. In fact, any entrance around this lake was built as some everyday business so the enemy won't know that there are people safe underground. When the Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved, they pretty much abandon these places as there were no means for them other than to store equipment and supplies for the military."

John looked around and decided to trust her on that.

John Darby: "Well, it's better than nothing, that's for sure. Now all we need to do is to find the entrance to the shelter."

He looked around and didn't see anything that resembles an entrance. But when he looked to the station, he thought that maybe it's somewhere in there.

John Darby: "Let's check the station. I'm certain that there is an entry way in there."

Elsa turned to the station too and thought that it was the most obvious of choices.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes John."

The two entered the station to see if there is an entrance. When they came in, they could see it's in far worse condition than the outside. The shelves in the station were bare and the old cash registered was knocked over. There was dust all over the place and cobwebs scattered here and there. Looking around, they could see that things aren't as good as the outside.

John Darby: "Okay… I'll take it back. This is a far worse dump than outside. How are we going to find the entrance?"

Elsa looked around and decided to do things her way.

Elsa de Sica: "Here, let me try something."

Stepping forward, she closed her eyes and begins to concentrate. When she opened them, her eyes glowed blue and tried her new abilities. In her own view, the whole area went to X-Ray as she looked around to find anything that is out of the ordinary. Peering her eyes back and forth, she could see what looks like an elevator shaft that was behind a vending machine and looked operational. Seeing this, she pointed to the vending machine and told John on where to go.

Elsa de Sica: "There! That's the entrance."

John looked to direction she was pointing at and saw the vending machine that had glass broken at the center and was covered by dust from top to bottom. He looked at it and was skeptic.

John Darby: "Seriously… A vending machine? That's quite an easy place to spot. Might have a sign that says, _'Obvious entrance to the Autobots'_. Now, how do we get in? There's got to be a button or lever or something that could open it."

Elsa looked at the vending machine and wondered how to approach this. Walking towards the vending machine, she took a close look at the machine and wondered where to go. That's when she spotted the buttons on the side that looked like some kind of code. Switching her vision to forensics, she could see the view in a blue light glow. Looking to the buttons, she saw a few fingerprints on few of the buttons. Curious, she scanned through the buttons and decided to try it out. Getting her finger out, she hit each of the buttons to see if there is a combination. After a couple of tries, she found the right combination as the vending machine started to move to the side. She backed up as the opening was revealed and the elevator doors were opened. John looked on and was glad that they were able to get that access.

John Darby: "Nice going, Elsa. How did you know what this was the right combination?"

Elsa turned to her with her eyes returning to normal and shrugged it off.

Elsa de Sica: "Lucky guess… Besides, I had to try a couple of times to get it right."

John Darby: "And you got it right. Now let's get down to this base and find my family."

He soon walked passed Elsa and got into the elevator, as she followed behind. Once they were in, John pushed the down button and the elevator doors closes, sending them downwards to the base.

* * *

Back underground, the hall was quiet and no one was around. At the elevator door, in a security checkpoint, the elevator entrance opened up and John and Elsa got out of it from the other side. When they looked around, they could tell that this was the place.

Elsa de Sica: "A security checkpoint?"

John turned to her and told her it's a start.

John Darby: "Standard protocol for military personnel. Doesn't matter if it's and army base or shelter. Luckily no one is around since the place was abandoned, till now…"

The two walked past the checkout and headed to the main hallway of the shelter. Once they were there, they were amazed by the size of the place.

Elsa de Sica: "Whoa… Never imagined the fallout shelter would be this big."

John looked all over the place and was in agreement.

John Darby: "Place is big enough to have huge transforming alien robots walking about. These Autobots know how to do their research. Now to find June and Jack."

Elsa nodded as they started the search. But just as they were going to do that, they could hear voices at a distance.

Wheeljack: "Can you believe it? Been flying around and there wasn't a single sign of Cons. To think they now have a base, they would think that they could have control the air or something."

Bulkhead: "Come on Jackie… It's not that bad. As long as we don't have to deal with a Con battle with Optimus getting annoyed by your shenanigans."

The two heard them and realized there were Autobots in the base.

John Darby: "Shit! Someone's coming! Quick hide!"

The two immediately backed up into the checkpoint and hid themselves from anyone that was coming. When they did, the handler peeked to see who was coming. What he saw was Bulkhead walking by while speaking to someone that he had never seen before. He looked like a big and rugged bot with a white paintjob and red and green hightlights dotting his arms, legs, and chest and has a pair of winglets on his back. Course that was Wheeljack as he was bummed by the patrol.

Wheeljack: "Sure, whatever you say Bulk. At least you and this team have it easy and won't attack Cons unless your boss tells you to. Me? I always look for trouble whenever I fly until your old base was attacked. Now here I am, getting orders from your Prime instead of taking order from no one."

Bulk sighed as they past the human checkpoint John and Elsa were hiding.

Bulkhead: "You better get use to it, Wheeljack. With the Cons having a base in Jasper and MECH on the rise, we need to focus on protecting this planet now more than ever."

Wheeljack: "Pft… Fine... Still feel like we should call for clean up rather than backup."

They soon walked away and were completely gone from the hall. When they disappeared, John and Elsa got out of hiding and looked on to see them leaving.

Elsa de Sica: "Well at least we know the Autobots are here. That certainly looks like Bulkhead by the looks of it. But who is the other bot that was with him."

John thought of that and came up with a good answer.

John Darby: "Don't know… He could be a friend of the team, or a teammate we didn't know about when we were at Jasper. Doesn't matter though, since it looks like they are going to meet Optimus. Lets follow them and see where they go. Just don't get to close to them. The last thing we want is to get caught before finding Prime."

Elsa heard him and nodded in agreement. Soon enough, the two followed the Wreckers as they are hoping that they would take them to Optimus so that they would ask some questions.

* * *

Back outside, Rodimus was driving in his Hummer H2 mode as he was in the middle with Arcee's bike mode in front of him with the holo rider of Sadie activated and his mother in the back in her Volvo S60 Sedan emergency vehicle. As they were driving, Jack was curious by what's really going on, as Optimus never given him much of a break unless it's for his dates with Arcee. But than there was his own mother involved as well. So out of interest, he spoke to his sparkmate.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "So… What's really going on?"

Arcee heard him and turned her review mirror to see him driving behind her.

Arcee: "Pardon…?"

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Well, you and I always go on these dates whenever Optimus gives me a break during my training as the next Prime. I mean I appreciate that we have a full day off when mostly it's a few hours or so. But to have my mom with me, it's just a little strange. Wouldn't you agree?"

Arcee thought of that and decided to keep what's really going on with the three of them.

Arcee: "What's the matter, partner? Getting a little uncomfortable with your mom around? And I thought you are always the ladies man around here."

Jack groaned as his hidden face cringed by the whole think.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Please… Like I have the hots for my own mother. I'm just a little iffy of her coming with us. Even if is a date."

Altra could hear her son getting uncomfortable and tried to calm him down.

June/Altra: "Jack… I'm offended… To think you are weary of me around. This is just a family thing, not a date. I just want to be with you for a little support. Nothing more."

Jack turned his review mirror to see his mom explaining it to him. Still he doesn't buy it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Okay… So if this is a family thing, where exactly are we going? It's not anything special, is it?"

Arcee chuckled on the audio and told him to wait.

Arcee: "Just wait until we reach our destination. There we can talk about something."

Jack heard that and didn't like the sound of it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Sure… Whatever you say. Why do I get the feeling that this talk cannot be good?"

So the three kept on driving as they make their way to their destination. Course none of them realized that something was about to happen in the base that would have them involved sooner than later."

* * *

Around that time, a yellow and black Cameo muscle car drove on ahead while the blue and yellow sports car with 7 racing stripes followed behind. Those two were of course Bumblebee and Smokescreen as they returned from their scouting mission for energon. Upon approaching the abandon boathouse, the door opened and a ramp descended down, letting the two into the base without worry. As they got in, they stopped at the command center and transformed into their bot modes, walking to Ratchet and Optimus that were at the controls keeping watch for any Con activities. When they heard the transforming gears, they turned to see the two approaching them.

Ratchet: "I take it you're back from energon patrol?"

Smoke went on ahead and nodded in agreement.

Smokescreen: "You could say that. We checked the area where you located some of the energon, but when we got there, the only thing we found is some just some crystals and nothing more."

Bumblebee than approached them as opened his chest compartment to take out what looked like a dozen energon gems implanted in rocks. Laying them on the floor, Ratchet looked to this and gave a bit of a groaned.

Ratchet: "Typical… Not as much as we anticipated. With most the energon being used for Optimus's recovery, it was evidence that we would be low."

Optimus than approached him and told him that it was all right.

Optimus Prime: "Though things are starting to become bleak due to my health, understand that we had been through a lot before the Omega Lock incident. No matter what happens, there will still be hope in ending this war and bring peace on this planet and the galaxy."

Ratchet looked up to him and told him that it still wouldn't be enough.

Ratchet: "Even if we still have hope, we still need energon for our fuel, our weapons, and medicine. Giving what we have in stock, it would only last us for just an orbital cycle. If we can't find a good enough stash, I might as well find an alternative source. I might as well picked up where I left off with the Synthetic Energon and see if I can improve it to prevent what I did not too long ago."

As soon as he said it, they heard the sound of one of the Wreckers coming in.

Bulkhead: "You want to use the synthetic energon? Even after what happened the last time you used it? My processor is still aching from when you tossed me through the wall at training."

The group turned to the left side and saw Bulkhead and Wheeljack entering the command center. The medic sighed and told him that it wasn't him.

Ratchet: "My apology with that. But you know it wasn't my fault in the first place. It was the synthetic energon that was controlling me, not myself."

Bulk rubbed the back of his head and was still a little pissed by it.

Bulkhead: "Uh-huh… Sure… Still feeling the aftereffects though."

Optimus though ignore this and decided to speak about the Wrecker's assignment.

Optimus Prime: "Welcome back, Bulkhead and Wheeljack. How was the sky patrol?"

Wheeljack crossed his arms and explained that it wasn't too good.

Wheeljack: "As quiet as the deep vast of space. There was no Con activity from where we are. To think now that they have a base of their own, you think they would've continued with the search."

Bumblebee though beeped in a chuckle and reminded him of what happened.

Bumblebee: _**(Guess they are still bruised after what Jack did in Darkmount.)**_

Smokescreen heard that and was in agreement.

Smokescreen: "Yeah… Tell me about it. After that whole Predacon debacle, I got the feeling that they won't attack us anytime soon."

Prime turned to the two and told them that it won't last.

Optimus Prime: "Don't count the Decepticons yet, Smokescreen. While the destruction of the Predacon was a setback to them, that doesn't mean they will give up yet. And knowing Megatron, he will have more diabolical means in getting what he wants. To that, we must prepare for when the Decepticons would make their next move, for we cannot have this planet fallen to their rule."

By the time he said that, he didn't notice a voice very familiar close by.

John Darby: "That makes the two of us, Prime…"

He and the others heard that voice and turned behind the Wreckers to see who was there. What they saw is a man in his forties and a young girl with blonde pigtails down her back. Course those two were John and Elsa as they were following the Wreckers to Optimus and they were successful in following them. Wheeljack though was a little freaked by this and deployed his blasters in defense.

Wheeljack: "Whoa! Who are you and how did you get in this base?"

Bulkhead saw the two and remember who they are, trying to calm his friend down.

Bulkhead: "Jackie, wait! Hold your fire! He's a friendly!"

The Wrecker turned to Bulk and asked why he won't shoot.

Wheeljack: "And why do I have to hold back. I took down most of MECH, I can take these two down easily."

Bulkhead: "Because those two are friends of ours!"

Wheeljack stopped and turned to him with a bit of confusion.

Wheeljack: "Wait… Friends…?"

Optimus soon stepped in and got between the two Wreckers, surprised to see the two.

Optimus: "Jonathan Darby… Elsa de Sica… Surprised to see you two."

John shrugged his shoulders and returns the compliment.

John Darby: "Hello, Optimus… It's been a while…"

Jackie and Smoke looked on and blinked a little, confused that the team knew those two.

Smokescreen: "Hold up. You know these two, Prime?"

Ratchet got next to him and explained about them.

Ratchet: "Let's just say they visited us at our old base in Jasper before you came to the team. They are Jonathan Darby and Elsa de Sica, members of the Social Welfare Agency in Italy."

The two remained quiet for a little bit until Smokescreen realized something.

Smokescreen: "Wait a nano click, Jonathan Darby…? You mean Jack has a sire?!"

Jackie blinked his optics and put two to two together.

Wheeljack: "Well, that explains a lot."

Optimus though ignored the argument and headed to the two humans.

Optimus Prime: "Nice to finally see you again, Jonathan. But you should've contacted us if you were coming."

John raised an eyebrow and didn't buy that part.

Jonathan Darby: "Sorry, but I've been busy. You know, cleaning up the mess that got started by the Cons. Like say how they started to plant a base near my hometown and laid it to waste."

Optimus starred him down and could tell that he wanted to know of what happened.

Optimus Prime: "With all to respect, John, we never really knew what Megatron's intentions were until it was too late. Still, that didn't answer the question of how did you know that we've located here."

That's when Elsa stepped in and gave him some clear warning.

Elsa de Sica: "A word of advice, Prime. When your colleges enter into the base, make sure they don't have any bugs on them."

She then took out her cell phone and showed him the red beep on the radar, showing the middle of the lake. Optimus bent down and looked to the little screen, realizing that one of the bots must've have some form of tracer without them knowing. Not even looking at the medic, he asked him to search the team.

Optimus Prime: "Ratchet, do a quick scan on our members. See if they have anything on them."

Ratch turned to him and nodded in agreement. Approaching Bumblebee, he activated his scanner on one of his arms and started scanning Bumblebee. Once he was clean, he went to Smokescreen and scanned him. Once he completed the scan, he detected something on Smoke's back heel and bent down to see what it is. That's when he spotted a small device implanted on him and it was blinking red. Realizing it, he grunted and got up, complaining about the former Elite Guard's actions.

Ratchet: "By the All Spark… You have a tracer on your back heel and you didn't notice it till now? What is your malfunction?!"

Smoke turned to him and was confused by this as him.

Smokescreen: "Hey! Don't look at me! I didn't know of this as much as you do. That girl must've implanted there when I was picking up the kids from school!"

Wheeljack crossed his arms and turned to the bot with a bit of good news.

Wheeljack: "Well, at least it's just two humans and not the Cons. I was getting myself comfortable around here."

Ratchet than decided to take Smokescreen to medical to remove the tracer, as Optimus turned back to the two to explain of what they did.

Optimus Prime: "Trespassing into our base and using one of my own as a way to get in is wrong, John. You know the consequences in doing these things."

John shrugged it off and decided to get down to the business.

John Darby: "I understand the situation that I have, I'll worry about the insubordination when I return to the agency. But I'm not worried about that."

Optimus raised an optic ridge and wondered about it.

Optimus: "Oh…? And what pray tell that you are here for?"

John rolled his eyes and got right to the point.

John Darby: "Please Prime, you know why I'm here. I want to know about my family."

Optimus stood back and figured out why John and Elsa came back uninvited. John continued with the explanation.

John Darby: "When I saw Jasper was attacked, I thought for certain that my family perished in that Hell. I thought that my wife and son joined my brother up above. But then my friend at the agency showed me the obituary of the people that died in my hometown. What I Discovered is that their names weren't on the list and they survived the attack. I knew a part of me believed that you and the team managed to get them out of town, and I'm quite relieved about it. But then there was the question that lingered on me for a long time. If my family survived, then why didn't they call me? Why haven't they reached to me to let me know that they're safe? I did some research and tried to figure out where my family was relocated. But for some strange reason, they weren't anywhere in the relocation list. Yet I still didn't give up as I checked on Raf and Miko. Turns out, they are living in Detroit with their family and host parents. Which made me believe that June and Jack are in that city. So I head down there and spoke to Raf and Miko about the whereabouts of my family. All I managed to get out of them is that they are living in this base for protection reasons. Course with the location of the base a mystery, it would be impossible to pinpoint. Thankfully, Elsa placed a tracker on one of your Autobot teammates and he led us to all the way here, at the bottom of Lake Eerie. Now here we are, after a bit of research and investigations, to meet up with all of you again. Which is why I'm asking just this once. Where is my family?"

Optimus and the team heard the whole story and knew what all this is about. John and Elsa are here to seek Jack and June, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, they already left with Arcee today and they won't be back until later on. Not to mention that the two were turned into Cybertronians by MECH and it would complicate things for John. Optimus knows that, and he can't let him see them like they are. So he kept him out of the mess as much as he could.

Optimus Prime: "Jonathan Darby, I appreciate you working hard in finding your family. And I respect the sacrifices you've made in coming here. Sadly though, you've just missed them. Arcee has already taken them out and will not return until late in the afternoon."

John heard that and was relieved that they are still around. But upset that they already left. Still, he wouldn't give up as he decided to stay put.

John Darby: "All right then… I'll just stay here until they return. I can be patient over all of this."

Optimus though didn't like that and knew that if he waited and they would return, than the whole thing would be a mess.

Optimus Prime: "I'm Sorry, Jonathan, but now isn't a good time to see them?"

John raised an eyebrow and found that response a bit off.

John Darby: "I can't see them? Why not?"

Optimus tried his best to hide the truth as he explained to him of the situation.

Optimus Prime: "A lot has changed since your returned to Italy. With the Decepticons making their presence known throughout this planet, we cannot have anymore human casualties in our war like what transpired in your hometown. Your family is of our main concern, giving that the roles they now have to play in this war."

John heard this and didn't believe a lick of it.

John Darby: "Bull shit. I know you, Prime. I know you don't lie to me over something as family. So what really happened to them? And please, don't lie to me."

Optimus could tell that he's not going to leave until he gets some answers. But he needs to find a way to get him out of the base. So he kept talking himself out of the corner.

Optimus Prime: "I understand your concern, John, but there are things that you shouldn't get involved. If you keep trotting down this path, you would not like what you see. Until the time is right, you cannot see your family until things settle down."

John wasn't buying it and kept his ground.

John Darby: "I've been waiting for over a month now. I cannot wait longer then that. You promised me that when I'm gone, you would look after my family. That no harm would come to them. By the looks of this, I feel you don't trust me and holding something back. I don't know what, but it feels like it has something to do with my family. You'll show me my wife and son, or so help me-"

Just he was starting to threaten Optimus; Elsa grabbed him by the arm and told him that it is hopeless.

Elsa de Sica: "John, please… I don't think now's the time in threatening the very team that helped us before. Besides, they are as busy as it seems. Perhaps we should come back here tomorrow, since we know where this base is located."

John looked down to her and knew that she had a point. This is the same team that helped save Elsa and recovered the sensitive data the Decepticons took. He can't be mad at them. So taking a quick breather, he decided to do this another day.

John Darby: "Okay, Optimus, you won this one. But here's how its going to go down. I'm going to come back first thing tomorrow morning to see my family. If I don't see them the moment I arrive, then I'm afraid my trust with you is out the window. Come on Elsa, we're leaving…"

He soon turned around and walked away while Elsa looked concerned about it all and soon followed him. As they were leaving, Optimus decided to ease his troubled mind and told him that he kept his promise.

Optimus Prime: "Jonathan Darby. I can tell you don't trust me anymore, giving the situation. But know this, I've been taking good care of Jack and June since you left and they were in safe servos since then. I would never let them be in harm's way."

John stopped where he was and looked back to him with a bit of disgust.

John Darby: "Really? Then why do I have the feeling that you got something to hide from me? I'll see you tomorrow, and this time, be sure Jack and June will be waiting for me. Don't disappoint me…"

He soon turned back and the two returned to the checkpoint that would take them back to the abandoned gas station. As soon as they left, Bulkhead got next to Prime with Bumblebee on the other side.

Bulkhead: "Optimus, how are we going to have John meet his family? You know what would happen if he sees them like what they are."

Bumblebee: _**(Yeah… Especially since it would be too much to explain to them that Jack and June were forcefully turned into us by MECH. How are we going to explain that to him?)**_

Optimus looked to the two and told them that he will find a way.

Optimus Prime: "I understand both of your worries, but we will find a way in explaining to John about that predicament. We just need figure out how we present this matter."

Wheeljack looked to the hall and was a little confused by them.

Wheeljack: "I don't know, Prime. Giving how serious he is, he will find out eventually. Speaking of which, who were those two? And how do you know about them?"

Optimus looked to him, as he wants answers. The Prime looked on and could tell that the Wrecker wanted to know more about them. Giving a sigh, he decided to let it out.

Optimus Prime: "I do believe now is the best time to explain about them. But why don't we head down to medical where Ratchet and Smokescreen are? It is best that the two of you are informed by this matter."

* * *

Back at the abandon gas station, John and Elsa left the elevator that took them up and walked out of the station. John looked a little defeated over the whole thing, knowing that his family left with Arcee and Optimus won't let him see them. It was strange, even for him. Elsa was behind him and could tell that he was distraught, so she tried to calm him down.

Elsa de Sica: "Don't worry; John. I'm sure Optimus has his reasons in keeping you in the dark. Just give him some time."

John looked to her and told her that it wasn't going to happen.

John Darby: "I gave him enough time when I left. Now that I'm back, he's not giving me my wife and son. Unless he shows me my family by tomorrow, than all this trust he gave me is all for nothing. Let's head back to the city."

He turned and headed to his bike as Elsa sighed, knowing that he got it all wrong.

Elsa de Sica: "There has to be a reason why Optimus is hesitant in Jack and June. But what is it?"

Shrugging it off, she went after him and the two got on the bike. Once he started the engine and got the kickstand up, he drove out of the gas station and went for a long drive back in Detroit. What they didn't know is that something was in the air, already out on a search for anything unusual. It whizzed by in a purple streak, looking for something important. If only John and Elsa knew that they were being watched by an enemy Minicon.

* * *

 **That ends it with chapter eight. Another short, yet informative chapter. I know it's getting quite annoying, but giving the way I present them, I do believe that it makes a really good buildup to what is going to happen next. Speaking of which, as John and Elsa return to Detroit, they are being pursued by the Con's Intel officer's minicon. What's bound to happen? You just have a wait and find out. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	9. Kidnapped

**Huh… Another short chapter… You know, I really like the way I portray this story. I mean, I usually have chapters as long as forty–fifty pages and now… Well… Seems like I'm getting the hang of it. I mean, there are many reasons on why I'm quickening some of the chapters. But I think I should keep that part in the dark, as it would tend to be a bit stupid. Regardless, I think my plan is working, as there is a lot of praise.**

 **And praise I have. Looking back at the last chapter, it seems that I have eight full reviews and over two hundred hits and climbing! This is a Hell of a lot better than before. Best part, is that I don't have that nosey guest reviewer pestering me in updating. Guess all my pleas of him to stop it have finally paid off. I just hope he won't bother me again. Otherwise, I would be complaining about it over and over again until I can't take the pressure anymore. Still, it's really good what you guys are doing. Let's hope we continue with this with this chapter.**

 **Heading to the next chapter of this story, Jack, June, and Arcee continues to enjoy their break as the femmes spoke to the next Prime on the issue with Jack's father. Meanwhile, John and Elsa were driving back to Detroit when they encounter a familiar minicon. Will they be able to escape or get captured by the Cons? I'm sure you all know where I'm going with this.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girl**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Kidnapped

Somewhere in the wooded area, three vehicles were driving down the road, reaching a certain destination. These vehicles comprised of a motorcycle of unknown make, a black Hummer H2, and a Volvo Sedan emergency vehicle. They were of course Rodimus, Arcee, and Altra as they were getting a break from Optimus to unwind for a little bit. Course what Jack didn't know is that they were out just to talk for a little bit. As they were driving, Jack was getting curious and wondered where they were going.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "So… Where exactly are we going? We've been driving for a while and we didn't stop for anything."

Arcee peered her review mirror to him and told him that it was a surprise.

Arcee: "Oh, it's just a little surprise. And I know you like surprises."

Rodimus was a little off about that and asked about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "And you think it's all right if we bring mom in. I mean if it's just us, I understand. But with mom with us, that is a bit creepy."

June chuckled and told her son that it was all right.

June/Altra: "Now, Jack, don't get too weary about that. It's just a family thing. And you know we are a family."

Jack sighed and didn't like the whole thing.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Why do I get the feeling that this isn't going to be a day's worth vacation?"

So the three continued to drive as they reached the nearest exit. Taking the right entrance, they curved around an uphill slope as they were reaching the end. By the time to reached the top, they approached what looked like a parking lot but there were no cars around. Being that no humans were present, they transform into their bipedal forms and stretched there gears to get their feeling back.

Arcee: "Oh man… Talk about a long drive. It really rusts my actuators."

Jack though took a breather and walked ahead to see where they are. When he stepped to the small park on the side, he saw what appears to be the view of the entire lake where the base is underneath. He was amazed by this place and asked about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Whoa… This place is amazing! Exactly where are we?"

Arcee approached behind him and explained about this place.

Arcee: "This is a small observation park that shows our base under the lake. I spotted it during my patrols here. Not that many people come here often since they believe its nothing special. But for a Cybertronian like me, I never get tired of these views."

Jack looked at the view of the lake and marveled at its beauty.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Got to say Arcee, you certainly know how to impress a boyfriend. So, why we are here? Cause I'm pretty sure the sights isn't a reason."

June soon approach Arcee as the two looked to each other. Knowing that they kept this from Jack for so long, they nodded in unison and looked back to him.

June/Altra: "Jack? I think now is the time we have a little talk."

He soon heard that and turned to them, curious of what they want.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Okay… What do you want to talk about?"

Arcee then stepped in and explained about what he learned.

Arcee: "It's about you. See, you've been a little off lately and I'm certain that it doesn't have to do anything with your destiny as the next Prime. I believe it's about your father. Is it?"

Jack heard her and was confused by all of that.

Jack Darby: "What? What are you talking about? What does this have to do with my dad?"

Arcee sighed and continued with her talk.

Arcee: "Well, I know what your father's birthday is fast approaching and you and mom used to spend time going to Jasper's cemetery and placed flowers on your uncle's grave. But now things have changed since the Decepticons placed that fortress and attacked your town. And now with the two of you as Cybertronians and you as a Prime, it would make your life completely complicated. So if you want to speak about it, it's all right to talk to us."

Jack blinked his optics and realized what this was about.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Wait a minute… Is this was all about? That's why we drove all the way to here? To speak about my father? And how did you know about my dad's and uncle's birthday and how we celebrate?"

Arcee then points to June and answered back.

Arcee: "June told me. Says you were down due to what you have been through and the whole birthday things is really bothering you."

Rodimus was shocked and turned to his mom for some answers.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom?! Is that true?"

Altra looked to him and nodded in approval.

June/Altra: "Yes… It's true… I know you've been quiet over the whole thing and giving that John's and Kevin's birthday coming up, you have always been completely bummed recently. I had to speak to someone about your behavior. And giving Arcee is the closest one to family, I thought I speak to her about this."

Arcee then picked up where June left off.

Arcee: "So I spoke to Optimus about the whole thing and told him that you needed some time to vent all your frustrations out. So he decided to give you the day off so June and I could talk to you about this whole thing."

Jack heard that and realized this wasn't just a day's worth break.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "So that's why Optimus wanted to give me a break. And I thought it was after all that training I did. Man, I was such a fool."

June then approached her son and eases him through this.

June/Altra: "Look Jack, I know this is a bit much, but you can't just keep yourself bolted into your own room. It's something a grown young man like you can't get through, especially a future Prime. Sometimes, you need to talk it out of those that are close to you. And who it closest to you then your mother and girlfriend? So if you wish to talk about what you have bottled up, feel free to speak up."

Jack looked to her and was quiet about the whole thing. Looking away, he walked off and thought maybe he could speak about his problems.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Sorry mom, but lately, I've been having some doubts about my dad. See, when he came back after many years away, I was happy that we were reunited with him. But than, when it was revealed that he was working for an anti terrorist organization that turns little girls into cybernetic soldiers and when he discovered about the Autobots, things got complicated for all of us. Sure we were able to make amends and we got use to all of this, but now things have changed again. I mean, look at us! We are now Cybertronians because MECH wanted to make their own breed of armada and we cannot go back to the way things were. And if that were the case, what would happen if dad finds out about it? What would his reaction be? Will he be able to accept us even after what we've been through? And to top it all off, what would happen even if he does return? After what happened to Jasper, I'm sure he would make his return to get some answers. What are we to do?"

June heard him and lowered her head in shame. She knew that Jack is having so much trouble with John's and Kevin's Birthday coming up. But she never expected to be that bad. So she sucked it up and decided to intervene.

June/Altra: "I know how you feel, Jack. I truly understand what you are going through. The fact of what happened to us since John left is very frustrating, especially for me."

Jack turned to her and was a little confused by that part.

June/Altra: "Let me explain. When we were reunited after getting separated due to what happened in Jasper, I was hoping that I speak to your dad once we were relocated. But you knew what happened before hand. MECH took us, experimented on us, and ultimately turned us into what we are. Because of this, I never got the chance in talking to him about what happened. I mean, how am I suppose to say that we were turned into Autobots ourselves and you'll becoming a future Prime? That is going to be a lot for him to take in. So if you think you are worried if he ever finds out about this, well, you're not the only one that doesn't know what to do."

Jack blinked and knew what she meant. She hadn't contacted his dad ever since they were turned to Cybertronians. And if he ever finds something out, it could spell disaster for all in the family.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom… I… I didn't know…"

June looked to her son and told him that it was all right.

June/Altra: "Hey… Don't beat yourself up over this. We both can't let John know of what happened to us. Yet we can't keep this a secret from him forever. One day, the two of us need to confront this problem on our own and let him know of this. Sure he would be mad. He will be confused. Sometimes he will be a little iffy of what we have become. But all I know is this… You, John, and I are a family. And as a family we will stick together no matter what."

Arcee listened in on the conversation and decided to share her own two cents.

Arcee: "You three aren't the only family you have."

The two turned to the two-wheeler and was curious of what she meant. That's when she gave out her own explanation.

Arcee: "The Autobots are also a part of this family. And Elsa, she's family too, if you count she and John being a fratello group. The point is, there's no need in keeping things from each other. Giving the trials and tabulations, we will work it out together. It is what families do, right?"

Jack heard the two femmes and begins to process the things they said. Sure, there are so many things he and his mom had to work with, and it would be a matter of time before his dad could figure things out. But he knows one thing. No matter what's going to happen, no matter how bad it is, they will work it out together as a family. And that's what's important, family. To that, he smiled to the two and responded the best way possible.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You're right… It is…"

And so, the three hang out at the observation park, looking at the view and having their own chitchat, enjoying time with each other. Of course, they didn't know what something happened at the Autobot Base, let alone some uninvited guests that came in before.

* * *

Down in the highway heading back to Detroit, John and Elsa were riding on his Harley, as the drive was eerily quiet. See, John is pretty much in a fowl mood knowing that his family wasn't at the base at the moment, especially after all that time trying to find them. Though he thought of waiting until they return, Optimus refuses as he told them that it wasn't the best of times in seeing them. But it had been around a month and he couldn't just sit this one out. He really wanted to see if his family is safe, that way, he could rest easy knowing that there in good hands. Still, something wasn't right about Optimus's body language as he felt like he was keeping something to him. But what? What is it that's making the Autobot leader not really tell him?

Elsa looked to her handler and was worried about him as well. After all that time in getting to see Jack and June, it was bittersweet as they were asked to leave for bizarre reasons. She could see it with John, as he was very quiet over the whole ride. Knowing this, she sucked it up and spoke to him.

Elsa de Sica: "John…? Are you all right? You seem really silent since we left the base."

John looked to Elsa through the review mirror and gave a deep sigh.

John Darby: "What? No, I'm fine, Elsa. Just a little upset is all."

Elsa looked on and knew what he meant.

Elsa de Sica: "About the whole incident at the base?"

John grunted as a response.

John Darby: "You could say that…"

Elsa gave a deep sigh and could tell that he wasn't in the mood. But she wouldn't give up on him and tried to reason with him.

Elsa de Sica: "Look, I know what happened back there didn't work out the way it did. But you can't be mad with Prime over something like your family. Just give him some time. I'm certain that everything will work out and we can see June and Jack."

John heard that and explained why he's really mad.

John Darby: "Elsa, you don't get it. I was wondering about what happened to my family for a month straight and after all this hard work; Optimus shut me off and told me to leave. It's almost like he's keeping something from me. What is he hiding? What does this has to do with my family? I want to know!"

Elsa listened to his case and couldn't help but to agree with him. The fact that Optimus kept them in the dark about Jack and June is quite baffling. There had to be a reason on why they won't see them. Still, it's best that they wait until tomorrow to see if they would be there.

Elsa de Sica: "Don't get too worked up about it, John. I'm sure by tomorrow; your family would be there. We just need to hope for the best."

John was silent as he retorted something else.

John Darby: "Hope you say… Hmph… I sort of gave up on that when I thought I lost my family before. I hope I don't loose them again."

Elsa sighed and knew this wasn't getting her anywhere. Unless John gets out of this funk, there's no point of return. So the two rode on as they were getting to the city. What they didn't know is that something was following them. Up in the air, a winged metallic being flew through the air scouting for any possible energon signatures related to the newly formed Cybertronians. But as it was looking for any, it detected something and investigated. When it saw the two humans that were with the Autobots before, it decided to report them to its master for confirmation.

* * *

Up in the air, the Nemesis was floating through the clouds as it was on standby. In the command center, Soundwave was hard at work, recovery any data from the terminals they found at the correctional facility to find answers on the appearance of the new Cybertronians. So far, he was already 75% done as he was gathering video entries and undocumented files. As he was recovering the data, he picked up a signal from Laserbeak and checked on it. His screen was turned on to pinpoint his minicon and saw a live video feed of two people, a man and a young girl, on a motorcycle. At first, he was going to rule this out as nothing, but then he noticed something familiar about them. Looking into the history logs, he could see stored camera feed of the some two people that were in the Nemesis when the Autobots stormed in to retrieve the human prisoner and the data they've retrieved from the agency in Italy. When he saw a match, he decided to show it to the commander to give him the news.

* * *

In another part of the flagship, Knockout was in his medical wing looking into the dead MECHicon that the drones found in the wreckage at Morrison Dam. Using everything he his power, he checked about this new drone and found a few fascinating finds. So much so that he would speak to Starscream about it. As if on cue, the door opened up and Starscream came in looking poised, confident on whatever findings they might have on this dead drone.

Starscream: "Knockout… Found anything from our guest? I want to be sure that whatever evidence we have would be enough to please Lord Megatron."

The doctor turned to him and was glad he came at the right time.

Knockout: "Ah, commander. So glad that you've come. I have found something very interesting about this drone that you might like."

The commander raised an optic ridge and was curious about that.

Starscream: "Really? All right than Knockout, please tell all you need to know."

Knockout nodded as he walked away with Scream following him. As they were walking, the medic explained about what he discovered.

Knockout: "While looking at that mysterious drone that our Cons discovered, I notice that there are some similarities to us in more ways then one. These include T-cogs, spark chambers, processors, etc. But there is something that got my attention."

Starscream: "Is that so? And what, pray tale, is it that would clear some things about this Cybertronian?"

The two than approached the console where there's a glass vat on top of it. Once they reached it, Knockout showed him what he found.

Knockout: "Have a look."

The commander looked to him confused and approached the vat he was pointing at. Looking to it, he noticed that the vat was filled with what looked like energon, but it was green instead of blue. Blinking his optics, he was confused by that and asked him of it.

Starscream: "What am I looking at, Knockout? All I'm seeing is green energon. Unless you've figured out this Synthetic energon formula, than you already wasted my time."

Knockout though shook his head and started to explain some things.

Knockout: "Oh no, Starscream. If it were Synthetic Energon, I would spoken to you as soon as I completed this formula. No, in fact, this energon belonged to that drone we found. See, his energon is of a different color than ours. Which means instead of blue, they are green."

He looked to the vat, but Scream wasn't amused.

Starscream: "Okay… So this drone has a different color energon than ours. Big deal. Why are you showing me this?"

Knockout then headed to the terminal to show him something more about that energon.

Knockout: "Funny you ask that. I looked at a small sample of that energon into the microscope to see anything different. What I found is something quite unique."

He typed down a few keys and showed Starscream something.

Knockout: "Take a look at the screen. Do you see anything strange about that energon?"

The commander looked to the screen he turned on and checked to see if there is something that would get his attention. Approaching the screen, he looked to the molecular structure of the green energon to see what he wants him to see. Taking a good look, he discovered that there were some strands of human DNA mixed in with the CNA of a Cybertronian. That meant there were some strands of human genetics within this energon.

Starscream: "Wait a nanoclick. It can't be… Human DNA in the energon?"

Knockout nodded as he continued with his theory.

Knockout: "Indeed, commander. From what I can put together, there are some genetics of human DNA mixed into our genetic structure. In short, someone must've mixed the two building blocks to create this thing."

Starscream looked to this and was surprised by this.

Starscream: "So… What you're saying is that whoever created this one, could've been related to when Cylas had the body of your deceased partner, Breakdown?"

Knockout disagreed, but thought of something else.

Knockout: "Not quite. While Silas was implanted into the body of Breakdown, this however is far more advance. Don't know much of the details, but it seems like someone has found a way in turning humans into Cybertronians."

That gave the commander quite a shock and never thought of something like that.

Starscream: "Cybertronians made from humans?! Abominations! Though it could explain why those younglings we caught before were the Autobots human companions."

Knockout though was a little iffy about something else.

Knockout: "The main problem we have is who is responsible for creating these monstrosities. If we are going to show this to Megatron, we need to give more than this to prove anything."

Starscream turned to him and told him that they have everything under control.

Starscream: "Not to worry. Soundwave is recovering any data that could be of some proof to all of this. I'm hoping what he found could make our lord and master happy."

As if on cue, the door opened up and the Intel officer entered to speak to the commander. Starscream turned to see him and was pleased of his arrival.

Starscream: "Soundwave… Right on cue. Have you completed in recovering the data from the terminals our Vehicons found?"

The Intel officer's response is a progression bar on his screen faceplate showing that its almost complete. The commander didn't like that and asked why he was there.

Starscream: "Then why did you come here in the first place? Trying to waste my time?"

Soundwave though showed him the real reason why he came. He soon showed a live feed with John and Elsa heading to Detroit and another screen showing what looked like past footage of the same two. Scream looked to the pictures and video feed and was more confused as ever.

Starscream: "What is this? Are you trying to joke me around? I don't have time watching a bunch of humans! Get back to recovering the files! We need to get enough proof for Megatron to see."

Knockout though looked to Soundwave's screen and noticed who those people were.

Knockout: "Wait a nano click. I know those two? Where did you find them?"

Soundwave showed the map of the states and zoomed in to the Michigan area close to Detroit. While showing the live video feed and the camera feed of the Autobot incident. Starscream looked to the medic and was a little confused by this.

Starscream: "You know these two, Knockout?"

He turned to the commander and explained as much as he could.

Knockout: "Sort of… While you were exiled, these two came into the Autobot picture. One of them is one of the Autobots companion's sire and the other a young girl that has some Cybernetic components. From what Megatron knew, this girl was part of some human organization that uses youngling girls as robotic soldiers to fight against terrorists. She and that father of one of the kids attacked Airachnid and she had some proof of their existence. Soundwave here hacked into this Social Welfare Agency, they called it, and gathered all the information needed. We soon took this girl, who calls herself Elsa de Sica I believe, to begin dissecting and seeing if we could use her as a means into creating a new breed of Decepticons in human forms. A little weird yes, but it was hoping to be effected. To the pits, we were almost successful, if it hadn't been for the Autobots trespassing into our flagship while we were going through our energon run. Because of them, they freed that girl, took the Intel back, and ruined everything! That girl even shot me in the optic one time that caused my defeat against Arcee. So embarrassing for me.

Starscream raised an optic ridge and was a little confused by that.

Starscream: "You mean to tell me that there was an incident in the Nemesis and I never knew about it."

The medic shrugged his shoulders and explained why he wasn't there to begin with.

Knockout: "Well, you were exiled for a while. You were never known about this before hand."

The commander was furious, as he didn't think something like that could happen. But than, he thought about the two and asked about them.

Starscream: "So these humans…? They too are companions of the Autobots too, are they?"

Knockout shrugged his shoulders and gave that a probable guess.

Knockout: "Most likely, though they are rarely seen. But now it looks like they've made their return. Wonder why?"

Starscream shrugged it off and decided to let it all slide.

Starscream: "I don't care… But if they are the human companions, then that would mean that they might know where the Autobots are located. Oh what joy if we not only show up to Darkmount showing the information we have on these new Cybertronians, but also when we destroyed the Autobot base with them inside it. How joyous it would be!"

He soon turned to Soundwave to give him the orders.

Starscream: "Soundwave, have Laserbeak to collect these two humans and bring them in the Nemesis. I want to meet up with them, personally."

Soundwave was silent about all of that and was a little concerned that that wasn't the mission. Still, this is the commander's orders and he has to follow them without the master's consent. So he ordered Laserbeak to retrieve the humans.

* * *

Back to Laserbeak, it got the order and responded by diving down to get close to the targets. Meanwhile, John and Elsa were quiet the whole way through the trip, as they were getting closer to Detroit. They weren't even aware that they have something following them. That was until Laserbeak flew lower to get close to them. Elsa heard that high pitch with her advance ears and looked back to see something she didn't expect. With eyes wide in shock, she looked to her handler and warned him what's behind.

Elsa de Sica: "John! We got company following us!"

He heard her and looked to the review mirror to see what she was walking about. That's when he saw the Minicon chasing them.

John Darby: "I see it. That looks like a Decepticon. And if this day couldn't get any worse. Hang on!"

Revving his engine, he put throttle to the metal and the bike jolted and went faster. Laserbeak saw them escaping and decided to chase them down. The two speed through the freeway as John was trying to loose it. Elsa looked back and didn't like the odds.

Elsa de Sica: "It's still chasing us! We can't loose it!"

John heard that and had to think of a way to escape. Looking to the cars and trucks ahead, he came up with a good idea and told Elsa to trust him.

John Darby: "Hold on, Elsa! This is going to be a rough ride from here on out!"

So thrusting forward, the two kept on driving forward through traffic as Laserbeak followed. Swaying back and forth, John maneuvered through the cars and trucks in order to loose the minicon. Still, it kept on finding ways out of that situation as it dove under trucks and getting tight squeezes in between cars. Elsa looked back at the small drone and could tell that it still wasn't working.

Elsa de Sica: "It's not working! That drone is still after us!"

John heard this and groaned in complete anger.

John Darby: "I'm not in the good mood for all of this and it's not my day. Okay… New plan… We're taking a shortcut."

Elsa looked to him with confusion and didn't know what he meant.

Elsa de Sica: "Shortcut…? What do you mean by thaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAT!"'

Almost immediately, John took the immediate turn and spotted an empty bed of a truck heading to the city for an immediate pick up. Getting into a quick wheelie, he jumped the asphalt and flew to the bed, landing on it. With a quick pivot to the left, he revved his engines and went full throttle to jump over the bed and over the divider. He soon landed on the other side of the freeway and the opposite end of the road. They drove the wrong side as they whizzed by cars, honking their horns to get out of the way. Elsa gripped herself from the sudden change of directions and going through traffic. The plan was going smoothly, but Laserbeak wasn't fooled by it. It flew in and around incoming traffic to get close to its objective. John was trying to survive through the incoming traffic and trying not to get hit. Elsa looked back and could see the minicon still after them. Seeing this, she groaned and decided to take matters into her own hands.

Elsa de Sica: "This is getting WAY out of hand! If you want something done right, better do it yourself."

She soon rolled up her sleeve and decided to fight back. Getting her arm out, it shifted and turned into a blaster, firing away at the minicon. Laserbeak was caught by surprise and flew high in the air to not get shot. One the visual spectrum, it scanned the girl and was a little confused over the fact that Elsa has Cybertronian weaponry on her. So now it needs to play it safe and finds another option in stopping them. Looking ahead, it scanned a tanker truck leaving the city and heading to multiple gas stations for some rounds. Seeing this, it took the opportunity in putting a stop to them. Taking aim, it fired its blasters and hit the tanker. The tanker soon exploded as a plume of flames and smoke billowed out. The truck applied the breaks, as it careened and toppled over as the flames spread all out. There were cars on both ends lost control and went into a major pileup. John saw all this go down and was in a major panic.

John Darby: "Whoa!"

He tried to get out of the way, but the flying cars and fire was pretty much everywhere. He soon went to the side path took the quickest exit through the woods and was trying to not get hit by the trees. Elsa held on as the road was really getting bumpy and it was getting difficult to maneuver. By the time they thought they were safe, the bike hit a fallen log and the two flew off the bike and was rolling around for a little bit. Soon enough, they stopped in the middle of a clearing with the Harley damaged with a few pieces out of it. Elsa groaned as she was trying to recover from the fall. Looking around, she realized that they were safe for the moment as she wondered where they were. Turning to the right, she could see John in a daze and slowly recovering from the last attack.

Elsa de Sica: "John!"

Rushing to his side, she checked on him to make sure he's fine.

Elsa de Sica: "John, are you all right? Can you move? Speak to me!"

All John did was simply moan in pain and slowly got up. Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, he looked to her and was still in agony.

John Darby: "Ah! God dammit! I think my right knee just buckled again. That was quite a fall."

Elsa looked to his knee and could tell that it was badly damaged, even with the brace. She looked up and told him to stay put.

Elsa de Sica: "Stay here. I'll hold that Con off. No doubt that it is still searching for us."

John looked to her and smirked a little.

John Darby: "Well, it's not like I'm going anywhere."

Elsa smiled as she heard a high-pitched sound, hovering above. Looking up, she armed her blaster attached to her arm and scanned the area to see where that little pest flew off to. Using her sensitive ears, she could hear it flying about, but cannot pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Hearing it from the left, she turned and fired a few shots, only missing it. She soon heard the buzz again to the right and turned to fire. Once again she missed. Elsa was getting aggravated as she cannot just shoot as something she can't see. Luckily, that's where her abilities come into play. Closer her eyes, she calmed down before opening them to reveal the glowing sky blue hue. Under her point of view, she was in x-ray mode as she looked at the invisible outlines behind the trees and brushes. Looking around, she could see something whizzed past her and followed it with her eyes. She knew that it looked like Laserbeak as she waited for the right moment to fire. By the time it turned to her, Elsa got her target and pointed her blaster right at it. The stray shot hit Laserbeak as it fell to the ground and scrapped a little bit before making a complete stop. Elsa stood there and hoped that she got it.

John Darby: "Did you get it?"

Elsa looked down at the Minicon and thought that she got it.

Elsa de Sica: "I think so… That shot would've killed it. Let me check."

Slowly, she approached the minicon to see if she managed to take it down. With her blaster still armed, she points it to the Con and waited for something to happen. But it still was lifeless as she could tell that the shot would've destroyed it.

Elsa de Sica: "Hmm… No way it would've got taken down that easily."

She then shifted her blaster back to her hand and cautiously checked if it was terminated. Slowly reaching her hand out, she felt the surface to find any type of movement. But the time she touched it, a tentacle came out of the drone and grabbed her by the wrist. Elsa was startled by it and tried to get out of it.

Elsa de Sica: "What the…! Get off of me! I'm warning you!"

She was going to shift her hand back to her blaster to try and get out of the situation. But just as she was about to do it, the little wires within the tentacle sticks to her skin and she was immediately electrocuted on the spot. She immediately screamed in agony as she passed out from the shock. John saw this and was shocked by the sight of it.

John Darby: "Elsa! No!"

He soon saw another tentacle coming up and headed straight to him. He quickly took his pistol out and fired away at it. The tentacle though whizzed around and avoided each shot. It soon got to his leg and sent an electrical shock to him as well. John immediately screamed as well before he got knocked out. With the two down, Laserbeak lifted itself up and was pleased that the play dead tactic worked on these foolish humans. It soon flew up to the sky while carrying the two passed out humans to the Nemesis for Starscream to question.

* * *

 **Ninth chapter over. Yep… That's right. Elsa got captured again. And this time, John is with her. Seems like Starscream, giving that he was exiled during the John and Elsa story, will start to get to know them. But the main question is, what do they have plan for them? How will the Autobots get involved in this? Well that has to wait in the next chapter of Family. Stay tune to see what will happen next. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	10. Hostages

**Oh man… This was a rough one. Now normally, this chapter was supposed to be a short one. Unfortunately, due to my perfectionist claims, I instead got it a little longer and added more detail on this chapter just to make it unique. I really need to stop this. Between my writing, work, and other things, it could get cumbersome from time to time. This is especially worse when you have readers reading this story and get a wee bit impatient. I do have five reviews and nearing 500 hits, but this guest reviewer came back and pester me in updating this story again and again. Like every week tops. I know he wants to see more of this story happening, but he needs to learn the value of patience because it is something that needs to be in place. Still, I'm done with this chapter and it has been posted up. I just hope this damn guest reviewer doesn't pester me again. Because I'm tired of his nagging requests.**

 **On the next chapter of Episode 4: Family, John and Elsa were captured and held for ransom. Can the Autobots find a way in saving them? And what of Jack and June? Will they figure out that John and Elsa were looking for them and the team finding out about it? Let's see what's going to happen.**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **There will be a scene at the beginning at the Social Welfare Agency. After all, what's a Gunslinger Girl crossover without heading to Section 2? Am I right?"**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girls**

* * *

Chapter Ten: Hostages

Back at the Social Welfare Agency in Italy, things have been pretty tense within Section 2. With the whole Decepticon threat and the Padania/Pinnocio crisis, the agents and Cybernetic girls were getting ready for an important mission. In the medical facility, Bianchi was hard at work looking at the schismatic of the newly required leg that Triella needed. Today is the surgery and he needs to make sure there will be no flaws with the new leg. But then, he was looking at another computer that shows Elsa cybernetic structure from before the altercations recently. Starring at the picture, he groaned and knew that there is some form of consequences on both parties. It could be Lorenzo who would demand why he wouldn't share his findings or John who will find out that the doctor spilled Elsa's secret. Looking down, he was extremely conflicted.

Bianchi: "What am I going to do? I can't break John's promise of not telling Lorenzo about Elsa's condition. Nor do I want to keep this secret from the agency for so long. Of all my experience here, this one really takes the cake."

After thinking this through, he finally made his decision.

Bianchi: "Maybe I should tell them."

Just as he thought of it, he could hear a voice from close by.

Jean: "Tell us what?"

The doctor immediately got startled as he turned to see Jean at the door, unexpectedly. He soon cleared his throat and played it cool.

Bianchi: "Jean, what a pleasant surprise! To what brings you here?"

Jean raised an eyebrow and could tell that something wasn't right about him.

Jean: "You know why I'm here, doctor. I need to see if the leg for Triella is ready. Hillshire is waiting to see if they can get started on the surgery today."

Bianchi blinked and realized that he came to check on the leg.

Bianchi: "Oh yes, but of course. How could I forget? Anyways, I'm already checking on the leg's schematics and everything checks out okay."

Jean looked confused and decided to see for himself.

Jean: "Let me see…"

He soon approached Bianchi and took a good look at the computer for the schematics. The doctor calmly tried to explain it to him as best as he can, without causing too much attention.

Bianchi: "As you can see, the schematics stated that this leg we're giving her would increase her speed dramatically. No doubt that it could make her fast enough to take on Pinocchio entirely."

Jean looked to the screen and was a little impress.

Jean: "An interesting finding, doctor. This could help give Triella a boost of confidence. After loosing to Pinocchio, she could really need one."

Bianchi though still need to get the jest of it.

Bianchi: "The main problem that I have is the inner working of the leg. Giving how advance it is, there's no telling how to connect the nerve endings to Elsa's functionality. But I'm certain I'll resolve this today before the surgery starts."

Jean looked on and could tell that this leg could bring some problems. But he's certain that Bianchi could pull this off. As he was looking at it, he spotted something on another computer close by. From what he could understand, it looked like the cybernetic x-ray of Elsa's cybernetic body. But it looked off. One shows Elsa's original structure, the other was very advanced. This confused him as he asked Bianchi about it.

Jean: "Hey! What's that?"

Bianchi looked to him and saw he was noticing something else. Looking on, he saw the screen still having Elsa's altered schematics and immediately panicked. Rushing to the computer, he immediately turned off the screen and told him that it was nothing.

Bianchi: "Oh! It's nothing of importance. Just a little side project I'm working on in my spare time."

Jean looked to him and wasn't buying it.

Jean: "May I at least see it? Could be of some use for Section 2."

The doctor was a little nervous, as he doesn't know how to resolve this.

Bianchi: "I'm sorry… But this is of a private matter and would have nothing to do with Section 2."

Still, Jean wouldn't give in, as he demanded that he sees it.

Jean: "Oh, it does have to do with Section 2. Any project we are working on needs to be looked at, and it's a mandatory thing. Now let me see it. Now…"

Bianchi was quiet over the whole thing and didn't know what to do. He doesn't want to share with everyone Elsa's condition, nor does he want to anger John over this. But giving the situation that he's in, he doesn't know how to escape this predicament. So giving a sigh, he decided to choose the lesser of two evils.

Bianchi: "All right… You win…"

He looked back to the screen and turned it on to show the two x-rays of Elsa. Jean soon looked to them and noticed the major differences between the two. Looking back and forth, he noticed that something wasn't right.

Jean: "What is this? It almost looks like Elsa's x-rays, but one of them looks more advance. Care to explain?"

He looked to the doctor and wanted to know more of this. Bianchi was quiet and could tell that it was extremely complicated.

Bianchi: "It's difficult to explain… See, John's girl was acting strange and he came to me for help. I did a quick x ray and discovered that her cybernetic components were altering at an alarming rate. It's almost like something must've caused the her systems to change."

Jean looked back to the screen and could tell that there were some differences. Additional components that shouldn't been there, advance skeletal and muscle structures, it was completely out of this world, no pun intended. He turned back to the doctor and demand why he would keep something like that a secret.

Jean: "Why haven't you told anyone of this, let along Lorenzo?"

The doctor gulped and explained his actions.

Bianchi: "Because, John told me to keep this a secret! He feels that if Section 2 found out about this, they would bring Elsa in for testing, or worse. You know how we are when we turned Claes into a medical tester. John feels that he cannot let Elsa go down that path! He's over protected of her!"

Jean sighed to himself and explained to him that it was what they do.

Jean: "I understand the concern, doctor, but try and understand. Section 2's goal at the agency is to protect the people of Italy. To do that, our agents need to be at top performance. That is why we have Claes testing any modifications of any cybernetics we created. Now Elsa's case, she's more remarkable than Claes's. These new components and the advance features seem to grasp the imagination of our technicians. If we are to use her, we might be able to use whatever cybernetics we have to either create a new breed of Section 2 agents, or improve on the older models."

Bianchi: "And what about John?! I'm certain he would not be happy about his girl being used as a guinea pig. You can't just take her away from Darby."

Just as he was complaining about that option, the two heard a voice from the distance.

Jose: "I couldn't agree with him more, Jean."

They two turned back to see John standing there at the doorway. Bianchi blinked and was surprised to see him standing there.

Bianchi: "Jose? How long have you been standing there for?"

Jose sighed and approached him.

Jose: "Long enough… I overheard what you two say I can agree with both of you. Bianchi, I can agree with you that this is wrong to turn Elsa into a testing subject. But you know that you can't just keep any secrets from the agency. Especially if there is something special as this."

Bianchi lowered his head due to the secret he kept.

Bianchi: "I'm fully aware of the consequences, Jose. I'll learn to live with it."

Jose then turns to his brother and spoke to him of his own brand of thinking.

Jose: "And you, Jean, should know better then to have Elsa taken to the labs for testing. She's not like Claes in accepting being a test subject. The reason why Claes is where she is, is because her handler was killed and we have to recondition her to the position that she's in."

John looked to him and told him that it won't be the same thing.

Jean: "True… But this time, it would be a bit more different. You see, while Claes could still be useful in experimentation, Elsa de Sica can still serve in missions since she still has a handler with her. Which means that she'll still go on missions while she helps serves for testing her upgraded body. The schedule could be a bit tight, but she and John can manage it, no matter what. Course, it all goes down to Bianchi speaking to Lorenzo about this."

He turned to the doctor and asked if it was all right.

Jean: "What do you say, Bianchi. Shall we speak to Lorenzo of this? I'm certain he would be interested in your discovery."

Jose heard that and gave his own two cents.

Jose: "Now hold on… Bianchi won't do something as reckless as that. If John wants the doctor to keep Elsa's condition private, then it's best to keep his privacy."

Jean looked to his brother and had his own thoughts in the matter.

Jean: "Like John's family…? Tell me, Jose, how is it that John knows that his family is still alive when his hometown was destroyed? I'm certain that he didn't have anything to do without any help."

Jose was quiet by this, as he didn't want to explain how Darby figured out that his whole family is alive. But Jean saw this and managed to put the two together.

Jean: "Figures… Being that you and John are close, I can only imagine what you did to snap him out of this depression that he was in."

He looked back to the doctor and asked again.

Jean: "So, Bianchi, what's it going to be? Shall we speak to Lorenzo of this, or do you want to keep him in the dark? The choice is yours."

Bianchi was hesitant and didn't know what to do. By letting Jean in on the whole situation, he's now entered a new type of crossroads. He can't tell Lorenzo about what happened with Elsa, otherwise, it would make John's predicament far worse. Yet, he if he didn't tell him, then Jean would ultimately tell him anyways. So what would her next move be?

Bianchi: "I… Um…"

* * *

As all this was going on, Jonathan Darby is having the worse day yet. First, he wouldn't get to see his family due to Optimus's antagonistic sayings. And now they got attacked by Laserbeak and were knocked out in the process. How could this day get any shoddier? As he saw nothing but blackness, he could hear Elsa's voice in the distance.

Elsa de Sica: "John…? John! Wake up!"

Elsa voice was getting louder and louder as John slowly started to stir. When he slowly woke up, he noticed that he wasn't in a middle of the forest, but a dark and metallic room with a metal door right in front of him. Blinking his eyes, he wondered where he was? He tried to move, but found out he couldn't. Looking up and down, he realized two things. One: his hands were cuffed with purple electric lighting being used as chains. Two: he was suspended in the air with his feet dangling. Seeing this, he realized one thing, he was being held captive.

John Darby: "Oh great… It has gotten worse…"

By the time he said that, he could hear Elsa again.

Elsa de Sica: "John!? Are you all right? Can you move?"

He turned to his right and saw Elsa in the same predicament as him.

John Darby: "I'm fine… You?"

Elsa was pleased that he'd be okay and responded back.

Elsa de Sica: "I'll manage…"

John smiled at the fact that she'll be okay as well. But that smile soon changed as he looked around and remembered that structure of the room and the red highlights.

John Darby: "Let me guess… We were captured by the Decepticons."

Elsa sighed and agreed with him.

Elsa de Sica: "Yep… Pretty much…"

John sighed and didn't like this predicament they were now in.

John Darby: "Well, this is just great… It's one thing not getting my family, its another getting captured by these Cons."

Elsa looked on was a little confident that they could get out of this.

Elsa de Sica: "Don't worry, John. We can get out of this. I've been in this predicament before."

John turned to her and reminded her on how she got out of it.

John Darby: "True… But that was when the Autobots were with us, and we all knew how it ended."

Elsa cringed as she remembers the Dark Energon exposure after getting hit by the blaster.

Elsa de Sica: "Right… How could I forget about that? Regardless, we'll still find a way of escaping."

John raised an eyebrow and could tell that she's trying to not give up hope.

John Darby: "You know… You're enthusiasm isn't improving my mood.

By the time he said that, the two heard the sound of metal footsteps close to the door. The two looked to the door as they waited to see who is going to come in. The door soon slid open as two Decepticons walked in. Elsa looked on as she cringed that one of them is Knockout, after trying to open her up. But there's the new Con they have never seen before. He was thinner then the other Cons, with a silver and red paintjob, two missiles on his arms, and wide wings on his back. Course that Con is Starscream as he looked on and was pleased with the prisoners they have.

Starscream: "Well now… Isn't this grand. Here we are on an investigation mission on these new Cybertronians and we have found some human companions of the Autobots. How flattering that you are brought into the Nemesis so we can talk."

John starred at him and was serious over all of this.

John Darby: "Well, we don't have no choice in the matter, since we were forced into capture. And you are?"

The commander smirked and knew that he and Elsa were confused.

Starscream: "But of course… I suppose you should know who I am, since I already met you. So allow me to introduce myself… Starscream; second in command and loyal servant to Lord Megatron. A pleasure to meet you."

He graciously bows to them as a way of kindness before torturing his prisoners. The two weren't impressed, as Elsa was a little annoyed by this.

Elsa de Sica: "You're second in command and Megatron's subject? Funny… I never seen you the first time I was here."

He turned to the cybernetic girl and was a little taken back by it.

Starscream: "Yes… Well I was… predisposed of at that time. But I am back in the fold and will make your stay as pleasant as possible."

Knockout peeked to him and rolled his optics around.

Knockout: "Yeah… That's some way in saying you were exiled, commander."

Scream glared at him and explained why he was exiled in the first place.

Starscream: "Well I wouldn't have been exiled, if a certain spider bot hadn't left me for dead back at the Harbinger! I swear, Airachnid has it in for me."

Elsa though looked to the medic and remembered him.

Elsa de Sica: "I do recall you. You tried to open me up and kill me. Too bad things didn't want your way. How's that eye of yours?"

The medic looked to her and was scowling over that incident that happened.

Knockout: "I'll have you know, that my optic was badly damaged when you shot it. Do you have any idea how long it takes to repair something as fragile? If it were up to me, I would've-"

He stomped to her, deploying his drill to do the same to her. But before he could get close, Starscream blocked him with his arm and told him that it was enough.

Starscream: "Enough Knockout! We didn't bring them here to kill them, yet… We just want to ask them a few questions."

John heard this and was curious of what he wants from them.

John Darby: "And what questions do you want?"

The second in command turned to him and explained his reasons.

Starscream: "Funny you ask, human. See, even since the Autobots fled their base, we've been searching for them for some time. Unfortunately, we were never able to find them and believe that they have a new base they are currently staying in. And giving that they have prepared themselves this time, finding them could be a bit more difficult then I've imagined. However, giving Soundwave and Knockout know you in the past, maybe you can shed some light into our dilemma. So tell me, where is the Autobots base?"

John looked to him and could tell what he was planning.

John Darby: "And what are you going to do when you find it. Destroy it just like what you did to the previous one and my town. I lived in Jasper, Nevada, Con! I saw what you did to my hometown and what you're capable of. So why do I want to bother in telling you anything where the end result would be tragic?"

The commander growled to the Darby's response and kept talking.

Starscream: "Come now… Let's not get angry over the subtle things. After all, those humans in that town kept them secret and because of their insolence, they paid the hefty price…."

John heard that and was really upset over the whole thing.

John Darby: "They kept them a secret? They have no idea of their existence in that town! They were living their normal lives until you came in and wrecked havoc. You have no right in attacking them!"

Starscream: "And they have no right in keeping them a secret! Now their blood is in the Autobots hands and more will shed once we have this world as our own. So if you don't want that casualty count to rise, then you better tell me where the Autobots currently reside in. Who knows, maybe I might spare you two if you give me their location."

John listened to him and knew where this was going. Giving the situation he's in, if he told them of the base, the Autobots would perish. If he didn't, he and Elsa will perish. And even though he didn't like Optimus keeping secrets from him, he doesn't want to give away the base's location, since he knew where they live. So with little option, he stalled as much as he could.

John Darby: "What makes you think you keep your end of the bargain. From what I know, you Decepticons always are the masters of deceivers. Promising favors to your enemies before shoving them right at their faces. I doubt that you will kill us the moment we give you the location. So I'm afraid that I would have to decline on your offer."

Scream listened and didn't like the response.

Starscream: "All right then… Looks like we have to do this the old fashioned way."

He turned to Knockout and gave him the nod to begin. The medic saw him gave that gesture and took out his electric staff to twirl it around and having lightning danced around the ends. John and Elsa looked at this and could tell that they are loosing their patience. The Darby then looked to the commander and could tell where this is going.

John Darby: "Ah yes… The old torture routine… You honestly think that I would be electrified enough to talk? I've been through those types of situations before. There's no way you can zap the answers out of me."

The Con though smirked and let him know that he wasn't thinking of that.

Starscream: "Yes… You made a good point in withstanding any form of torment. But we weren't thinking about you."

He soon turned to the person next to him as John turned to see Elsa looking a little frightened. He turned back to Scream and knew what he was up to.

John Darby: "No… You can't! Not my Elsa! She has nothing to do with this!"

Starscream though was insets in his plan and reminded him about what happened in the first place.

Starscream: "If I remember correctly, you and the Autobots stormed into the Nemesis to not only take the Intel we had on your little organization, but also the very girl that's next to you. You seem to have a deep connection to this weak fleshling. So weak in fact, that you would crack under pressure if she would perish under your wing. So, tell me where the Autobots base is located, or else watch as this little youngling gets an electrifying experience."

John remained quiet and thought he was bluffing.

John Darby: "You wouldn't dare…"

Scream though didn't like that answer and decided to go with it anyways.

Starscream: "Watch me…"

He turned to Knockout to give him the word.

Starscream: "You can begin when ready, doctor…"

The medic heard that and has a devilish grin on his face. Approaching the girl, he pointed the prod to her face and was ready for payback for what she did to him.

Knockout: "Oh, I've been waiting to do this for some time…"

Spinning his staff around, he juts it forward and shocked the girl through the chest. Elsa immediately screamed in pain as she felt the electrocution spreading throughout her body. John could only watch helplessly as he saw his girl get tortured by the Con. Once he knew that it was enough, he let the prod go of her, as she was still alive, panting and breathing in pain. Starscream looked to the sight before turning to him with a gleeful expression.

Starscream: "Now, that's just a small shock to her body. But I warn you, you don't give me what I want, it would be a whole lot worse. Now tell me, where are the Autbots?"

John was shocked to see that they could do that to Elsa and she didn't want her to get killed by electric shocks. But he cannot give away the Autobots position that he came from. So he had to stall them long enough until he can come up with a way to get out of this.

John Darby: "I will never tell you! You hear me?! I will never give the Autobots to you!"

Starscream lowered his metal brow and knew that he's not going to give up, and decided to keep pushing it.

Starscream: "That's a shame…"

He turned to Knockout and gives him the nod. Understanding it, he got his prod back and thrust it forward, giving Elsa a pulsing shock. She screamed in pain as John watched helplessly to see his girl in complete anguish.

* * *

Back at the Autbots base underneath Lake Eerie, Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Smokescreen, and Wheeljack were at the medical wing as doctor was removing the tracer the former Elite Guard had when Elsa placed it on him the first time around. As he was removing it, Wheeljack looked to the Prime and demanded answers.

Wheeljack: "Okay… Spill… I know I haven't been in this team for a long time since my second return, but I do wish to know about what transpired. Who were those two humans and how do you know about them? And no going around it."

Optimus looked to him and knew that he was determined to get his answers he wanted. Taking a deep sigh, he explained about what happened.

Optimus Prime: "Since the two of you want an explanation of what happened back there, I suppose now is the time. A while after your second return and long before Smokescreen's arrival, Jack's father made an unexpected return after a long leave of absence."

Smokescreen heard that and knew what he was talking about.

Smokescreen: "So that was really Jack's sire, huh? Never really heard of him from Jack since I came here. Guess it was obvious that his arrival in the base was a very awkward situation. Still doesn't explain who that girl was and what she has to do with Jack's pops."

The leader turned to him and explained about it.

Optimus Prime: "That, Smokescreen, was Elsa de Sica. She and John are part of an organization in Italy known as the Social Welfare Agency. It is an agency in, what they said to the media, a charity organization that help those of in need with prosthetic limbs to give them a second chance in life. The truth is that the agency is actually an underground anti-terrorist operation that handles Italy's terrorists. The way they do it though, is a little… extreme."

Jackie heard it and raised an optic ridge about that.

Wheeljack: "How extreme are we talking about?"

The Prime turned to him and wondered if he's ready for that. Taking a deep breath, he explained about the truth a bit more.

Optimus: "Elsa de Sica isn't no ordinary human girl. She is actually a cybernetic soldier created by the agency. You see, they gather up girls who were sick, orphaned, nearly dying, or been taken in for human trafficking, and implant these cybernetic components in their bodies. From metallic skeletal structure, carbon fiber muscles, heightened eyesight and hearing, and increased strength, speed, and agility. They have become perfect soldiers for combat."

The two heard that in stun silent, as had too many questions in their processors.

Smokescreen: "Hold it… You're telling us that this agency turns normal human girls into cyborgs?! Man, and I thought the Cons were that cruel. How could those younglings take the torment?"

Optimus was about to say something until Ratchet decided to explain that part.

Ratchet: "They didn't…"

The two looked to the doctor as he picked up where Optimus left off.

Ratchet: "When the girls had their surgery, they were taken to be reconditioned. Erm… Some sort of brainwashing technique that wipe out their past memories and be loyal. Though the side effect is that this conditioning can shorten their life spans, meaning that they would ultimately expire before they past their teens."

The Wrecker turned his head away and was disgusted by it.

Wheeljack: "Sheesh… These humans are so cruel. Still, it doesn't explain why Jack's sire is with this girl."

Optimus picked up again and answered his concerns.

Optimus Prime: "When conditioning is done, these girls are assigned to a handler, an older counterpart with military or police background, and train them to be reliable soldiers. John is one of those said handlers and raised young Elsa well."

The two turned to him as the Elite Guard member decided to let that part slide.

Smokescreen: "Well now, at least there's one good thing out of the whole thing. So those handlers take care of the girls?"

Optimus nodded as he kept explaining a few more things.

Optimus Prime: "In a way, yes. Not only do they train them, but also treat them like a fratello, that's a sibling in Italian. When John and Elsa came to Jasper to visit his family, they never knew about our existence. That is until Airachnid came and reveal it so them. We had no choice but to explain our reasons here and protecting those in need. Course, the Decepticons knew of this and breached into the Agency's mainframe to steal sensitive Intel of their organization. And to make matters worse, they captured Elsa to experiment on her. We had to board the Nemesis to save both her and the Intel. But in the midst of all the fighting, Elsa soon became a casualty when she shoved John out of the way to take a hit from Megatron's line of fire."

Wheeljack could only snicker, as he never thought someone like Elsa to sacrifice herself like that.

Wheeljack: "Kid's got some serious guts risking everything for him. I should know… Done some myself a couple of times during my Wrecker days."

Optimus nodded as he went on with the story.

Optimus Prime: "Unfortunately for Elsa, she was heavily exposed to the Dark Energon in her system and would die if we don't do something."

Ratch quickly switched to him and spoke on what happened after.

Ratchet: "And something we did. With knowledge of how to dispel the Dark Energon, we administered normal enegon into the chamber and gave a good enough jolt to remove it. Turned out, everything went according to plan and Elsa was saved."

Smoke heard that and was skeptical about it.

Smokescreen: "Wait a nano click. If the energon dispelled the dark stuff, wouldn't it alter her cybernetic components, giving that she has some in her body?"

The medical officer looked to him and gave a straight answer.

Ratchet: "In a ways, yes. But we don't know much of it yet, giving that they left Jasper to return to Italy. However, I wasn't expecting them to come at this inopportune time.

Optimus nodded and knew what the Darby wanted to know.

Optimus Prime: "Giving that the Decepticons now occupy Jasper, it is evident that John wanted to make sure that his family is safe. I did all I can to explain to him that they are safe…"

Wheeljack though finished what Optimus was going to say and knew what he meant.

Wheeljack: "Without explaining what really happened to them."

The Autobot leader looked to him and knew where this was going.

Wheeljack: "I can understand the situation. You can't tell that guy what really happened to them; otherwise, it would raise a pit of a lot of questions. Besides, after what we all witness at what happened to those two, it would be difficult in explaining it to him."

Optimus heard that and nodded under the Wrecker's two cents. Bulkhead then turned to the leader and asked what's next.

Bulkhead: "So, what do we do now? John and Elsa knows of our new base and will come tomorrow to find Jack and June. How are we going to approach this?"

Optimus thought of this and had to come up with some way in explaining it.

Optimus Prime: "I do not know… But we have to keep this a secret from them until we can find a way in explaining the situation."

The group nodded and decided that they should keep it to themselves. But as they made that agreement, a familiar voice came from behind.

Miko/Kaosu: "Keep what secret?"

The group was caught by surprise by that voice and looked back to see Kaosu and Firewall standing there with a bit of confusion.

Bumblebee: _**(Raf! Miko! Don't sneak up on us like that! I swear to Primus, you almost gave us a spark attack!)**_

The Wrecking Cadet lifted her servos up and apologizes for that.

Miko/Kaosu: "My bad, Bee. We were just picking Sari and Vince up from school and saw that the main command center was empty. Though we look around to see where you guys at and saw you guys at medical for some strange reasons. So what's going on? Why are all of you gathered around the medical wing?"

The group looked to each other and could tell that they want to tell them about it. The doctor then looked to them and told them to get back to the command center while finishing the removal of a tracer.

Ratchet: "You all should return to the command center. We'll explain there."

* * *

Back in the Nemesis, the interrogation kept going on as Starscream tried to get some answers out of Jonathan Darby. When he refused, Knockout kept electrocuting Elsa de Sica over and over again, with jolts powerful then the last. Still Elsa wasn't going to die as she felt like it was nothing. Yet, she screaming in pain, as she couldn't take the electric shocks any longer. Neither did John, as he couldn't take watching it any more.

John Darby: "Stop it! Stop it now! You're hurting her!"

Knockout kept on electrocuting her with his prod and didn't listen to him. But Starscream knew when enough is enough as he waved him off. Knockout saw him and decided to save the energy for later. Removing the prod to her, the commander looked to the Darby and kept on demanding the location of the new Autobot base.

Starscream: "This will all go easy on you, if you tell me where the Autobots base is located. So start spilling, or else, this girl will become the next casualty in our war."

John heard that and couldn't help but to snicker.

John Darby: "Next casualty you say… Funny… That's some word you said after you took over my hometown of Jasper and killing innocent people!"

Starscream heard that and smirked to that response.

Starscream: "Is that so…? Well now, we wouldn't have struck that town if it weren't for the humans keeping the Autobots in there. They all had to pay for keeping them in secrecy."

John just heard enough and lashed out on him.

John Darby: "They had to pay? THEY HAD TO PAY!? None of them didn't know of the Autobot's existence! They were just minding their own business until you place that damn tower close to the town and attack it like you own the place! You're a bunch of cowards when attacking those that didn't want to take part of this war of yours!"

Scream was taken back by that and told him who the real cowards are.

Starscream: "Us? Cowards?! I'll have you know that we Decepticons are loyal to our lord and master's dream of conquest. The only cowards here are the Autobots, always hiding from our sights and not revealing themselves to us. They have no right in keeping themselves from us. Lord Megatron is getting tired of this repetitive game of hide and seek and we cannot control this entire planet with the Autobots protecting it. Just surrender the location of their base to me, and I promise that you and your family will be spared."

John gave him a deep glare and could tell what he's doing. He's using the bait strategy to lure him in and waiting for the right moment to strike after the lie. John though looked away and thought that it would be impossible for that to happen.

John Darby: "Hmph… Even if I do tell you, you still won't be able to find them. Optimus and his team are still protecting them and making sure that you don't get to them. Though I am beginning to doubt that I would be seeing them again."

That got the commander's attention and he looked on with interest.

Starscream: "Can't see them again…?"

John nodded and continued on.

John Darby: "That's right. That's the reason why I returned to the states, to find my family and see if they are all right. Course Optimus wouldn't let me see them and he never explains why? And to think I trusted him on looking after my son and wife."

Both the commander and the medical officer looked to each other and realized that he has no clue what really happened to them.

Starscream: "You mean you haven't seen them since you left?!"

The sudden shock turned to glee as Starscream snickered over the whole thing. John turned to him laughing and was confused by his little state.

John Darby: "What? What's so funny?"

Starscream calmed down as he decided to tell him that there's a reason.

Starscream: "Oh… Nothing… It's just that I never believe you would be looking for them and not getting to see them. So Prime didn't tell you of what really happened to them?"

John nodded and wondered where he's going with it.

John Darby: "No, he didn't. Why?"

Scream snickered a little more as he kept what happened in the dark.

Starscream: "Oh, foolish human… If you only knew the truth of your family, then you would've been greatly upset."

John blinked and wondered where he was going with that.

John Darby: "What do you mean by that?"

Scream's response was the usual bad guy trope as he turned around and left and cell. Knockout saw him leave as he followed behind. John though didn't like the response, as he kept demanding him again.

John Darby: "Hey! I'm not finished here! What are you talking about!"

The moment the two left, the door closed behind them as it left John with more questions then answers.

* * *

Back at the command center, all of Team Prime was present with the exception of Jack, Arcee, and June as they were having their little break. Sari, Sam, and Vince were present as well as they were at the living area near the command center to relaxing after a long day. Course they were expecting their friends in explaining about what happened yesterday. Kaosu and Firewall gave them a very descriptive issue on what happened at school yesterday when John came and ask them questions on what happened to his family. Once they were done, the team was silent after hearing the whole thing and had no clue that John was at Detroit yesterday, until now. That's when Ratchet decided to come in and get upset about this.

Ratchet: "You've got to be fragging kidding me! You're telling me that Mr. Darby and Elsa were at your school yesterday and you didn't tell any of us about it?!"

The hacker was taken back by that sudden outburst, while Miko remained poised as she bent to his side and whispered something to his audio receptors.

Miko/Kaosu: "I believe the doc is taking it well."

Raf gave her a glare and explained why they didn't tell anyone of this.

Raf/Firewall: "Well, it wasn't like we have a choice. John came to us unannounced and unexpected and we didn't know he was coming before hand. If we were to tell you, then you would've been upset over this just now. Either that, or you guys might think we're crazy."

Ratch though crossed his arms and was a little annoyed by that.

Ratchet: "Oh, you are right at one of those choices. You think you can keep something like that from us and not tell us sooner? We were shocked to know that those two came uninvited and we didn't know of this either. If you told us about that sooner, we would've been prepared for them. You two should know better!"

Bumblebee heard enough and decided to intervene on Ratchet's irritating rant.

Bumblebee: (Easy there Ratch. They didn't really mean to not tell us. It's not their fault that Darby came in the first place.)

The doctor turned to the scout and understood what he meant.

Ratchet: "I get it. They didn't really mean to keep it a secret all day. But still, they should've at least gave us a fair warning before hand!"

Optimus though came in and stick by Bee's side.

Optimus Prime: "Bumblebee does have a point, Ratchet. Rafael and Miko didn't expect Jonathan to come and neither did we. They don't know of this as much as we."

Ratch gave a deep sigh and decided to let it pass.

Ratchet: "Right… Sorry about that. Guess I'm a little upset over the whole thing."

As that was over with, Vince, Sari, and Sam overheard the whole thing as Vince remembered something.

Vince: "So those two were here to find Darby and his mom. And you didn't tell them what happened?"

The leader turned to him and explained of the situation.

Optimus Prime: "Vince, if we were to tell them what happened, their reactions could lead to some serious consequences. After all, you didn't know who Jack was until it was revealed to you back at Darkmount."

Vince turned away and remembered when the recruits, their friends, and himself got taken by the Cons. When the plan to get the Autobots out of the fortress went array and was taken to Megatron for questioning. It was there that he learned the truth behind the recruits and things were going downhill for the team. That was until Rodimus became a Prime and saved everyone from Predaking. He gave a bit of a sigh and told him and it was all right.

Vince: "Yeah, I remembered what happened in that hellhole. And I was pretty much upset that the bot that was saving me was the teen I bullied in the past. But I sucked it up and decided to accept it like it is. Even have a good talk to him to make amends. So yeah, it was shocking, but I've managed to recover and accept the way he is now."

Optimus smiled and was glad that he had come to terms with Jack and they're now friends.

Optimus Prime: "So, you're saying that if John knows of the truth behind what happened to his son and wife, then maybe he would accept it as well."

Vince rolled his eyes around and was wondering about that.

Vince: "Well… Maybe… I mean he's family and there will be times that he needs to adjust to reality a lot longer then a friend. Trust me, I know. My family usually gets upset at me when they find out that I've caused some trouble in Jasper High. Could take weeks for them to cool over. Regardless, he needs to take a while after finding it out. I think he would understand."

Optimus heard it and nodded, knowing that he needs to tell him sooner rather then later. And if he did tell him, it could take John some time before he could accept what has happened to his family. But how to explain it to him without trying to sugarcoat it. As the conversation was going on, Sari realized something and asked the others about this.

Sari: "Hey, guys? I hate to be the stick in the mud, but what about Rodimus and Altra? I mean they don't know that Mr. Darby is in Michigan and looking for them. Should they be warned about that?"

Sam got next to her and was in agreement with her.

Sam Witwicky: "Sari does have a point. If John's in town those two need to know it first hand before things get spiral out of control."

Vince looked around and could tell that they weren't at the base.

Vince: "You're right! And it looks like they aren't at the base latterly. Exactly where are they?"

Ratchet turned to the two and explained about where they are.

Ratchet: "They are out of the base with Arcee for a day's worth of a break. Apparently Jack's been feeling down as his dad's birthday is near and Arcee decided to take them out to help ease him of his mental anguish. They should be coming back by now."

Bulk heard this and decided that it would soon be the time to let the two know of it.

Bulkhead: "Looks like we need to explain to them what happened when they get back. I'm certain that they would have to know of Mr. Darby's appearance before they find out themselves."

The leader turned to the Wrecker and understood that part.

Optimus Prime: "Perhaps now I start explaining to June and Jack of John's arrival first before explaining them to him tomorrow. It might get them some comfort before John returns."

Smokescreen then placed his servo on his leaders shoulders and decided to help him out.

Smokescreen: "Whatever you are going to say, sir, we will be by your side 100%."

The Optimus looked ahead and could see them looking at him with comforting smiles. Optimus smiled back, knowing that they'll be here for him. Just as the moment happened, a beep came from the console and a window popped up, followed by a familiar and booming voice.

Agent Fowler: _"PRIME! What in the name of Jefferson happened?! Explain to me, right now!"_

Everyone turned to the screen and could see Fowler on a live window feed looking as pissed off as ever. Optimus soon approached him with a bit of a limp and asked of what he said.

Optimus Prime: "Agency Fowler… To what do we owe the surprising appearance?"

Fowler though lowered his brow and went straight ahead with his complaint.

Agent Fowler: _"What do you think? Have you seen the news lately?"_

The team blinked for a bit and found that to be a bit off.

Optimus Prime: "No Fowler, we have not. Why?"

The former army ranger sighed and decided to show them something.

Agent Fowler: _"Here… Have a look."_

Almost immediately, another screen popped up and it showed live news feed of what look like heavy gridlock followed by a major pileup on a freeway close to Detroit. That was soon followed by a news broadcaster explaining the situation.

 _"A bit mess occurred late in the afternoon as a pileup at the I-75 freeway where a multi-car pileup is blocking both lanes, causing gridlock for drivers entering and leaving Detroit. Multiple injuries have occurred while many head to the hospital either in stable or critical condition. Thankfully, there were no fatalities in this major accident. What occurred though was a bit strange. Drivers and passengers stated that a mysterious metal like bird came down the freeway chasing a specific vehicle. That said vehicle was a custom black Harley Davidson Café Sportster XLCR vintage 1972 with a male in his forties and a young preteen girl on it. Eyewitness accounts stated that this mysterious bird attacked them while they swerve throughout traffic. Even going so far as to heading the opposite end of the freeway through oncoming traffic. This said metallic bird fired its energy like projectiles to a nearby tanker and caused it to explode. This led to a chain reaction where multiple cars flew and created a monstrous pile up that would've been proven fatal. As for the bike with the male and young female, they disappeared within the blast and are nowhere to be seen. Attinger had an interview moments on his Facebook channel explaining about the incident."_

The screen soon showed Attinger in his office discussing of the accident and knew who's to blame.

Attinger: _"Yet another day, another alien attack. The Decepticons have struck yet again, and this time, it's on a busy freeway near Detroit. And who is to blame for this? The Autobots, that's who! These attacks keep on getting worse and they are nowhere to be found! They promise to protect us from these Decepticon and make sure that our planet is safe. Well, I have a question for all of you. Where were the Autobots when Jasper was invaded? Where were they when so many innocent lives were lost in that town while our brave men and women had to hold them off with little resources they had? Well I say, enough is enough. It's time we all take a stand in this nightmare and work together to send these Autobot back to where they belong. They have caused so much misery since the attack, and they'll continue to do so until-"_

The window closes as the team watched the whole thing. Wheeljack though grunted and wasn't in the mood.

Wheeljack: "I'm really starting to hate this guy."

Fowler then looked to Optimus and explained what happened.

Agent Fowler: _"Whatever the case, Prime, this is starting to become a serious situation. Those Cons sent a drone and caused a major car wreck close to your location. What I am concern about is that if they seem to be getting close to your new base of operations. Not to mention that Attinger is using this as an excuse to extend his campaign in kicking you guys off our planet. I wish to know how are you going to handle this situation."_

Optimus heard him and explained about the little detail that he missed out on.

Optimus Prime: "Agent Fowler, please understand that none of us didn't know of this incident before hand. And even if we did know, it would've been detected around our base. However, you do have outlook the one thing that was on the news."

The former Army Ranger raised an eyebrow and wondered what he meant by that.

Agent Fowler: _"Really? And what little detail have I missed?"_

Optimus Prime: "Did you heard the reporter stating that Laserbeak was after a Harley Sporster?"

Agent Fowler: _"Yes, I heard that. But my guess was that it was something not related to the Cons. Why?"_

Optimus was silent as he was figuring out how to answer him the best he can.

Optimus Prime: "You see, agent, we had an encounter of a familiar face recently. That bike that Laserbeak was chasing belonged to a dear friend. Jonathan Darby."

Fowler blinked and was surprised by it.

Agent Fowler: _"John? Are you sure?"_

Optimus Prime: "Indeed it's true. He found the location of our base and came in to ask a few questions regarding his family. Why?"

Fowler sighed and explained what happened to him the other day.

Agent Fowler: _"Cause John contacted me a few days ago regarding his family as well. It was after the failed recruiting a new liaison for your team, just to find someone suited to keeping you guys in line. He's been asking about his family when he discovered that they weren't on the obituary list. I did all I could do to keep what happened to them a secret. But apparently, he still didn't give up. Still, how did he and Elsa find your base is beyond me?"_

Ratchet though stepped in and glared at Smokescreen for what happened.

Ratchet: "Let's just say they found a way to locate us."

The Elite Guard member turned to him and told him that it wasn't his fault.

Smokescreen: "Hey! I didn't know they placed a tracer on me! Don't blame all this on me!"

Optimus could see this argument and decided to end it quick before it gets too hot.

Optimus Prime: "Enough!"

He soon turned to Fowler and could figure out what happened on that freeway.

Optimus Prime: "While both John and Elsa had a reason in finding us, there is the fear of what the Cons want with them."

Fowler sits back and knew what he was trying to say.

Agent Fowler: _"Payback from the last time they visited? Its obvious Megatron would never forget what you did in rescuing Elsa and recovering that Intel from the SWA."_

Optimus nodded, but thought of something different.

Optimus Prime: "Perhaps… But I'm afraid that giving that the two now know of the location of our new base, then it's a possibility that the Decepticons would interrogate the two in our location."

Fowler heard this and didn't like the sound of it.

Agent Fowler: _"So you're saying is that those Cons will force John and Elsa to spill out your location?"_

Optimus Prime: "It's a possibility… But giving their experience, there is no way that the two would give out our location without a fight."

Agent Fowler: "And if you're wrong…?"

The Autobot leader gave it some thought and hope for the best.

Optimus Prime: "Then we shall see…"

As soon as he said that, the buzzer blared and the green lights are flashing. They all looked around and were getting worried.

Bumblebee: _**(Don't tell me that the Cons found our base already! And I was getting use to our new home!)**_

Ratchet quickly checked on the computer to see what was going on. He then gave a sighed and told them the good news/bad news scenario.

Ratchet: "Well, we should all breathe a sigh of relief. The good news is that the Cons haven't found us yet."

The others looked on in confusion and were curious what triggered the proximity alarm.

Miko/Kaosu: "Kay… So what's the bad news?"

He then turned to them and showed the others what's on the monitor.

Ratchet: "Well, we do have our company coming back."

Optimus soon approached him and checked the screen to see who's coming. What he saw is a black Hummer H2, a Volvo Emergency Sedan, and a custom blue and pink motorcycle. Seeing this, he knew what it meant.

Optimus Prime: "It would seem that Jack, June, and Arcee has returned from their break."

The others heard him and were shocked by this.

Wheeljack: "What? But they were suppose to come back before sunset!"

Raf then approached them and figured out something.

Raf/Firewall: "Looks like that gridlock due to the freeway made them too take a shortcut here."

Bulk then approached his side and feared the worse.

Bulkhead: "And they don't know that John and Elsa were looking for them. This cannot be good."

Ratchet soon turned to the leader and asked what to do.

Ratchet: "What do we do now?"

Optimus gave it some serious thought as he was trying to figure out how to explain Altra and Rodimus of the situation. And he better do it fast before they could make a return.

* * *

Back at the Nemesis, Starscream and Knockout were at the bridge as the commander was walking back and forth, contemplating the situation. The doctor then remembered of the interrogation and asked Starscream about that.

Knockout: "Hmm… Those two seem to be tough to crack. Especially that human cybernetic girl. She really knows how to take an electric shock. Still, I'm quite surprised that the older male wasn't aware of what happened to his family. Kind of apropole if you ask me."

Starscream was still preoccupied by that; yet remember of what John said.

Starscream: "Indeed. Seems as though this human was searching for his family, yet not realizing what actually happened to them. This could be interesting for us. Regardless, it would make it difficult for us in finding the Autobot's base. There's got to be some other way in using these two for our advantage."

He rubbed his chin and was trying to figure out what to do with them. Knockout through thought of something and came up with the idea.

Knockout: "Why not use them as ransom?"

The commander turned to him and was a bit confused by that.

Starscream: "What?"

The medic backed up and explained to him in detail.

Knockout: "Okay, I know it sounds stupid. But hear me out for a few seconds. See we need to know the location of the base. But maybe we want some more things from the Autobots, like all those Iacon relics they took from our treasury when they were in Darkmount. So here's what we can do. We can use these two as a ransom and will give them to the Autobots if they can give us the location of the base and the Iacon relics. Once we got what we need, not only does Megatron knows who this third party that created these new Cybertronians were, but also we hand them the relics and pull out an all out siege of their new base. That would be enough to trust you after that major debacle."

Starscream thought of that and realized that he does have a point.

Starscream: "You seem to make a compelling case, Knockout. Have them surrender the Iacon relics and the location of their base in exchange of their human allies. Hmph… I like the sound of that. If we are to pull this off, Megatron would be pleased with all that I have done, he'll forgive me for screwing up before hand!"

Knockout though gave a bit of a sigh and wonder how to speak to them.

Knockout: "Too bad that we don't have a way in contacting the Autobots. Would've been easy to speak to them."

Starscream though looked to him and gave a bit of a snicker.

Starscream: "Oh, that's where you're wrong, Knockout."

* * *

Back outside of the base, Arcee, Jack, and June were returning after a long drive back from the park. Though there was a lot of traffic unknowingly, even though they didn't know that an attack has happened, they took a shortcut that was quick enough to get by. As they were nearing the boathouse, the doors opened up to the side and a ramp like floor lowered to let them in. They came down the ramp and drove through till they reached the command center. By the time they got there, they made an immediate stopped and transformed to their bipedal forms and walked away from the entranceway. All of which were smiling and laughing, enjoying their little break.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Oh my God, mom! You kidding me! You messed up on a surgery?!"

June shrugged it off and explained to her son what really happened.

June/Altra: "No! That's not what happened! See I was starting out on my duties of a nurse when I was assigned to assist a surgeon on a minor surgery. He told me to hand him a scalpel and I give it to him. But then he gave it back and said that it wasn't a scalpel. I told him that there are many scalpel's on the table and asked how should I know which one is the right one. He specifically said that each blade has a different size and the scalpel is the one close to the smallest. My brain was nearly fried when I was trying to figure out the different sizes of those blades."

Arcee laughed it off and told her that it was nothing.

Arcee: "You think that was bad, you should seen me back when I got my first melee weapon mods. I've gotten what you humans call a switch blade to do battle and they told me that those didn't do squat. I ignored them at first, but at training, one of the opponents wasn't fazed by my first choice and brought me down easily. I learned my lesson and picked a better melee weapon for close quarters combat. You can never go wrong with a pair of arm blades."

The three gave a chuckle and was enjoying their blunders from time to time. But when Arcee looked ahead, she could see all of Team Prime just standing there looking a little silent over something. Was it something she missed? Both Jack and June saw them as well and was confused by what's causing them to fell silent. The femme soon stepped in and decided to ask.

Arcee: "Optimus? Is everything okay? What's going on? And why everyone is here? You guys have gone silent so suddenly."

The new Prime soon stepped in and asked about it too.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Did something happened while we were away? I can see Fowler on the screen. Was there another Decepticon of MECH attack?"

Optimus turned away and didn't know if they are ready to hear this type of news. Ratchet though stepped in and explained the attack part.

Ratchet: "Technically, there was an attack. Soundwave's minicon, Laserbeak attacked the I-75 freeway that leads to Detroit. No one was killed, thank the All-Spark, but there were a lot of injuries and gridlock coming in and out of the city."

Arcee heard that and remembered about that gridlock when they were returning to base.

Arcee: "Hmm… That could explain that heavy traffic jam coming to the city. But it doesn't make any sense. If the Cons were attacking, why did they sent Laserbeak?"

Ratchet looked to Optimus, wondering how he could approach this. The leader soon approached them and explained why.

Optimus Prime: "It is because Laserbeak was pursuing a specific target that was on the freeway, someone we know so well."

June looked to him and asked about that.

June/Altra: "Well who? Who is it that the Con was chasing after?"

Again, more silence as the team looked to each other, wondering if they would be ready to let them in on the whole thing. Jack could tell that something is up and demanded what's going on.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Guys? What's really going on? You are acting like you saw a ghost or something."

The group kept quiet and knew that they are getting suspicious. Knowing there's no way in keeping this secret from them, Optimus decided to tell them the truth.

Optimus Prime: "You are right about us seeing a ghost. But it is more of a physical entity, or entities in a way."

Both Altra and Rodimus raised their optic ridges and as curious of what he meant by that.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

Optimus was quiet for a few good seconds until he opened his mouth and told them what happened today. But just as he was about to say it, they heard a beeping noise coming from the console. The team turned to the console as Ratchet approached it, wondering what interrupted the moment. Ratchet started to type on the console while Optimus approached him asking what's going on.

Optimus Prime: "What is it Ratchet?"

Ratchet looked up at the screen and noticed something that isn't right.

Ratchet: "That's odd… I'm picking up a high frequency signal, on a standby comm. relay."

The group heard that and realized what that meant. Optimus knew that too and responded with one name.

Optimus Prime: "Starscream…"

The group had stern looks, as they didn't expect him to contact them, especially after what happened the last time he sent a message. But Vince, Sam, and Sari heard that too and understood whom he was talking about, but confused about it.

Vince: "Starscream?

Sam Witwicky: "You mean that Decepticon we encountered when we were captured at Darkmount?"

Sari: "But how can that be possible? Starscream is a Decepticon! How can he have contact with you guys?"

Arcee approached the three humans and explained why Scream had got the Autobot's number.

Arcee: "Not too long ago, Starscream was pretty much exiled from the Decepticons, due to Airachnid's manipulations. Because of that, Starscream had no choice to help the Autobots, in exchange for Intel of any Decepticon activity. We were hesitant at first, but we decided to trust him and provide him with a private comm. frequency that only we can pick up."

Ratchet then joined her and continued with the story.

Ratchet: "For a few orbital cycles, Starscream's Intel was proven effective. He guided us to a spacebridge that the Cons were reconstructing to help us get to Cybertron and recover Optimus's memories and the fact that there were Insecticons on your planet. He was very helpful during the war and were expecting to gain his trust."

The femme though groaned and remembered the last communication.

Arcee: "That was until the final chat we had with him took a turn for the worse. When he sneaked into our base with Red Energon in his system and used that advantage to steal the Omega Keys from us and brought them to Megatron as a way in coming back to the Cons."

Smokescreen remembered that and rubbed the back of his helm on that moment.

Smokescreen: "Yeah… How could we forget that thief got an advantage on us? Especially me, since he attacked me from behind when I found the third Omega Lock."

Ratchet sighed and knew this was a serious mistake that they all made in the past.

Ratchet: "Yes, well, we all learned our lesson and knew that we will never trust a Decepticon, no matter whose loyalty they are aligned with. Still, the one question remains is why Starscream is contacting us? He's now with the Decepticons! Why would he speak to us?"

He turned to the frequency on the screen as was curious about all of it. Optimus though decided to see what Starscream wants to speak about. So he looked to Ratchet and told him to patch him through.

Optimus Prime: "Open the channel. Let's see what Starscream wants to speak about."

Ratch turned to him and was shocked that he would wish to contact a traitorous Con. But understood why he would like to speak with him and decided to patch Scream through. Getting to the console, he pressed a few buttons and a pop up appeared of Starscream's face on the monitor followed by the audio that had Scream's voice.

Starscream: _"Ah… Finally you responded. I was hoping that you wouldn't answer back, especially after that last time we've… talked."_

The team had a stern look on their faces, as Ratchet started to say something.

Ratchet: "What do you want, Starscream?"

Starscream: _"Now, now… Let's not be too hostile. After all, I did help you in some form of Intel, am I right?"_

Bulkhead approached Ratch and reminded him what happened the last time.

Bulkhead: "Yeah, you did help us. That was until you turned on us and took the Omega Keys from us as a peace offering for Megatron!"

Starscream: _"Well, desperate times called for desperate measures. I suppose what I did was wrong. But I don't want to speak about the past, when we would look forward to the future. Now where is Optimus? I would like to speak with him, personally."_

The team turned to the leader and wondered how he would approach this. But he walked ahead and closely behind Ratchet, wondering what he would want.

Optimus Prime: "I am here, Starscream. What do you like to speak about?"

The Con heard him and was delighted that he was speaking with him.

Starscream: _"Aw… Optimus, so nice to hear from you again. I hope you're recovering well after your stay at Darkmount."_

Optimus glared at the screen as he remembered his time as a prisoner.

Optimus Prime: "After what Megatron put me through, at least I'm still functioning. If it were up to him, he would've terminated me and be done with it."

Starscream: _"Oh please… You expect Megatron to kill you then and there? You know that he is quite strategist when it comes to the war. But enough about past exploits, I would like to make you and tempting offer."_

Optimus Prime: "And what would that be?"

Starscream: _"A simple trade. Megatron is getting impatient in searching for you and your team since you all escaped Jasper. This is especially worse when it comes to your new youngling recruits and that new Prime you currently have. So here's how it's going to go down. Simply hand over the location of your base and all the Iacon Relics you took from us. I'm certain that is a tempting deal."_

Smokescreen heard this and didn't like the sound of it.

Smokescreen: "Excuse me? You want to surrender our base and relics? Last time I checked, you were the ones that took the relics from us back on Cybertron when we handed you the Omega Keys!"

He stepped in and tried to be defensive. Optimus, luckily, raised an arm to him and stopped him from doing something stupid. Looking to the screen, Optimus asked about the other end of the bargain.

Optimus: "And If we give you all your demands, what is it you'll give us in return?"

There was a low chuckle coming from Scream as he answered by a reveal.

Starscream: _"Here. Let me show you."_

There was another beep on the consol and Ratchet looked down at the terminal to see what it is.

Ratchet: "Another high frequency signal, this time with an embedded attachment."

He looked back to the leader, wondering if he wants him to open it. The Prime simply nodded as a way to say open it. Understanding that, he started to open that said attachment. Looking up, he could see what looks like a live feed of one of the prison cells with two humans suspended on stasis cuffs small enough for a minicon.

Starscream: _"I assume these belong to you."_

The team saw this video and was in utter shock of who they were. Jack and June looked up to see two very familiar faces and were in total bewilderment over who they are.

June/Altra: "John!?"

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad! Elsa!"

They all starred right at the screen while the commander explained about it.

Starscream: _"Laserbeak found these two driving close by and heard that they are of importance to you. Not to worry, no harm came to them. However if you don't give me what I want, then there would be a problem."_

Optimus remained firm and decided to warn Scream of his actions.

Optimus Prime: "If you harm these two humans, Starscream, you know that there will be some serious repercussions."

Starscream laughed through the audio and found that to be a bit pleasing.

Starscream: _"I'm afraid you're in no conditions in posing any threats, Optimus. Considering the many lives we took in Jasper, what's the harm in taking two more? Now you have one Earth hour to hand me the relics and your location and I'll hand these two humans to you. If you don't come before that time. Then consider these two entering into the obituary list of the many lives we took. I'll open the comm. frequency so you can track my signal to our meeting spot. Don't be late… Starscream, out."_

The two files closed automatically as the team processed what happened. The Decepticons now have John and Elsa and they will die if they don't follow his demands. This situation has gone bad from worse to them. What makes things shoddier is that Jack and June watched in horror, as they feared the worse had happened. John and Elsa are back and are now in serious trouble.

* * *

 **End of chapter ten. Once again, this was hoping to be a short one. Unfortunately though, I must of put too much information on this one. Guess this is what happens when you try and make this story very efficient. But what are you going to do? Now on the next chapter, the Autobots strategize in how to approach this and save John and Elsa without trading what the commander wants. Meanwhile, Starscream discovered something that Soundwave encrypted and showed it to John and Elsa. What will their reaction be? Stay tune and see where this will go. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	11. Dark Revelations

**Before beginning this chapter, a bit of Transformers News to share. See, I downloaded a game on my phone that is called _'Transformers: Forged to Fight'_. From what I could understand, it is a Mortal Kombat like fighting game where you journey throughout an unknown planet and fight a variety of Autobots and Decepticons across many universes. From what I saw is that they have characters from G1, Beast Wars, and the movieverse. Looks pretty cool and shows a lot of potential. Course I'm using an old phone from my family so it could get a little choppy for me. But I can get the use of it. Still, I wonder what type of characters they have in that game. I mean if they have the G1, Beast Wars and Movieverse versions, will there be characters from other series such as in Armada, Energon, Prime, or the two Robots in Disguise series. The possibilities are quite endless. I might have to look this one up and see what other characters they have. Still, big recommendation for those that want to give this game a try.**

 **Checking on the last chapter, it looks really good. Four full reviews and almost 400 hits. I always knew that my own version of season 3 of Transformers Prime is the popular thing on my Fanfiction page. Wish all my other stories had that type of popularity. Oh well, it is what it is. Still, the most popular one is the first episode of this arch. This one however, not so much. Since this is a crossover story, not everyone would notice this story at all since they will get confused by an episode five instead of an episode four. But they'll figure it out and looked through my profile page to find episode four. So we shall see about that.**

 **Now on this chapter of Family, Jack and June were shocked that John and Elsa came and are kidnapped by the Cons. How will they be able to rescue them? Will they give Starscream his ransom in exchange for them? And what of John and Elsa? Will they discover the truth of what happened to June and Jack? So many questions, so little time, all of which will be answered now.**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **In this chapter there will be a scene from one of my earlier episodes when I started. It's a little something that would fit John searching for answers and getting them in the worse way. Not going to explain much, but giving the situation, you will already know it by the time you read it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girls**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Dark Revelations

In the Lake Eerie base, everyone stood silent as they witnessed Starscream's newest guests, John and Elsa. They knew that they were taken when one of the highways leading to Detroit was destroyed and the group was captured. They never imagined that they would see them imprison against their will and being used as ransom. Those that were worse were Jack and June, as they never imagined John and Elsa here, and taken. Jack stood there in complete shock as his processor was trying to calculate the situation. Not finding an answer, he looked the leader and demanded what he just saw.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Did… Did my optics deceive me? Tell me that wasn't who I think it was. Did my father and Elsa get taken by the Cons?"

Optimus remained silent as he turned away, realizing that the truth was out before he said it. Looking up to his student, he answered the best he can.

Optimus Prime: "I'm sorry, Rodimus, but it's the truth. Your father and Elsa came back to the states only a few solar cycles ago."

Rodimus blinked and demanded why they came.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "But why? Why could they come back here?"

Optimus just sighed and told him the complete truth.

Optimus Prime: "Because he is looking for you."

Jack remained silent and didn't think that he could get an answer like that.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Wha…"

Optimus then explained by telling the whole story.

Optimus Prime: "Apparently, your father was worried of you and your mother, since the attack of Jasper. So much so, that he left the Agency to find the two of you."

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "And how did they manage to find out we're here?"

Ratchet then came in and answered his question.

Ratchet: "Obvious he did some research on where you currently live and used any means necessary for find you both. Guess he figured things out by knowing where Miko's host parents and Raf's family lives and came to Detroit to look for you."

Optimus then decided to continue where the medic left off.

Optimus: "And due to his investigation, led him to this base and came here while you, Altra, and Arcee left."

Now Jack was in a state of shock as he realized that John and Elsa were at the base today.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "They were here?! As in, in the base here?! How did they manage to find it?"

Before anyone answered, Smokescreen came in and decided to speak to him about that.

Smokescreen: "That would be me. Apparently, this Elsa chick placed a tracing device on me in my vehicle form while I was picking up the kids, without me knowing it. They figured out our base in here and found of the secret entrances around the lake. Didn't know it until they came in and said it."

Rodimus turned to him and rolled his optics around over the whole thing.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You know, you're really are too distracted when it comes to being an Elite Guard member."

He soon turned to the Prime and wondered about if they knew the whole truth.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Still… There is the question of what you said about my mom and me. Have you told him everything about us? Like, everything?"

Optimus lowered his head and took a deep breath, explaining the best he could.

Optimus Prime: "I only told that you and you mother were out and would return later. I didn't state anything of what really happened to you two. Still, they would be coming tomorrow to find the both of you again. Of course, that was before the Decepticons caught them."

The new Prime sighed in relief and was glad that they didn't know what really happened to them. Yet, there's a question of anyone knowing of this.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Yet you didn't tell me about this until now. Did anyone else know of this? Anyone?!"

He turned to the others and demanded if they knew of this. They all remained silent as they turned their heads with a bit of shame on them. The Prime in training backed up and immediately knew the truth.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You all found out. Yet, you never told me of this? Why?!"

They all looked to each other and wondered how to explain this. That's when Raf and Miko approached him and explained their meeting with his father.

Raf/Firewall: "Well, Mr. Darby came to our school yesterday and caught us by surprise."

Miko/Kaosu: "Totally. He was giving us twenty questions in asking about you guys. We tried to keep what really happened a secret and stall as much as possible."

That's when Vince approached the edge of the lounge and rested his arms on the railing to explain further.

Vince: "And I saw Elsa after taking care of a few bullies. She said the same thing in looking for you. I told her as much as possible, leaving the whole 'they are turned into robots' part."

That's when Fowler, who witnessed the whole discussion on his computer, decided to finish this up.

Agent Fowler: _"And he contacted me after I was at the general's office on any potential candidate for my position as liaison. He wanted to know what happened and I had to leave the human to bot thing on the DL."_

Rodimus gave a deep sigh and could tell that he was being kept in the dark of the whole thing. Optimus though decided to ease things through and explain him of what transpired.

Optimus Prime: "Rodimus, you are right to be mad at us. But please understand we did what we did for your own protection. You father and Elsa still don't know what really happened to the two of you. And if they ever found out about you, then there will be complications between the four of you. Please understand that until the time is right, we need to make sure that your secret is well hidden. Do you understand?"

Jack turned to the leader and was a little sad about this whole thing.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Sure thing, Optimus, I understand. But that doesn't mean you could keep all this from me. Even worse is that now my dad and Elsa are caught by Cons and are held for ransom. I just wish I wasn't in this situation that I am now. I… I should go to my room and be alone with my thoughts. Excuse me…"

He walked away from the group and headed to the dormitories to be alone in his room. As he left, the group remained standing there and was silent of what happened. Giving the situation they were in, they never thought that Jack's response was something like a dejected child. The only bot that didn't get involved in this argument was June. She was watching the whole scene and decided to not get involved. She felt sorry for Jack on John and Elsa coming and the team keeping this a secret until Starscream showing them on the screen. But as he was upset about it, she couldn't help but to put herself to blame, since she is the one that didn't contact John when she was taken and turned into a Cybertronian. And now it's hurting his son and she needs to comfort him. Slowly walking up to the Autobot leader, she requested something.

June/Altra: "Optimus?"

He turned to see her and wondered what she wants.

June/Altra: "Permission to speak to my son? Someone needs to comfort him and I think I should be the one since I'm his mother."

Optimus looked on and wondered if that was wise. Of course, giving the situation that just happened, he needed someone to look after the young Prime and she could be the one for the job. So with a quick nod, he decided to let her speak to Jack.

Optimus Prime: "Of course… Go on right ahead. He might need you more then ever."

June nodded as she follows Jack through the dormitory. As soon as the two left, Arcee decided that she had enough and decided to speak to Optimus of what just happened.

Arcee: "Optimus, I know what you are trying to do was right in not telling John or Elsa of what happened to June and Jack. But now this situation is far worse as Starscream has them in his possession. And giving the radical demands he has given it will not only worsen the situation, but also complicates how we tell them of what happened to the rest of the family. What are we going to do?"

Optimus thought this one through and decided to begin tracking Scream's call, to see where they will be meeting him.

Optimus Prime: "While the situation is grave, we must not loose John and Elsa from Starscream's clutches."

He turned to Firewall and asked for a quick favor.

Optimus Prime: "Firewall, see if you can track Starscream's private frequency. It's obvious that he's keeping his comm. on on purpose just to have us meet him."

The hacker turned to him and nodded

Raf/Firewall: "On it, sir."

He quickly approached the terminal and placed his digits in the keys, typing away. At the same time, his compartments opened and the cables came out and connected to the slots Ratchet installed for the hacker to gain any access he pleases. The data streamed down his visor as he was keeping track on that frequency call Starscream still has. As he was tracking the ship, Wheeljack approached Prime and explained about the situation.

Wheeljack: "Listen boss-bot, I appreciate the fact that we need to save these two humans. But with all due respect, do you really think we can accept Starscream's offer and give him everything he wanted? That is a bit extreme if you ask me."

Smokescreen then went next to him and was in complete agreement.

Smokescreen: "I agree with Wheeljack. We nearly risked our sparks in saving you and the relics and we have an actual base the Cons don't know about. It's bad enough that I have to give up my Phase Shifter after I retrieved it from them. But giving the Cons the location of our base, we might as well think of surrendering them the rest of the planet while we're at it."

Optimus heard the complaints from the two and knew what they meant when it comes to negotiations.

Optimus Prime: "I am fully aware of the situation and understand the grasp of it. While I do not want to surrender all that we have rebuilt, I cannot let two more innocent lives be taken by the Cons."

Arcee crossed her arms and still wasn't sure of this.

Arcee: "Okay… But this is Starscream we're talking about. The slagger is a manipulator, a deceiver, and lowlife that likes to hurt others to please himself. I should know… He took Cliffjumper away from me…"

She turned her head in disgust and was seething over the whole thing. Optimus thought of this and was in agreement with her. They do not want to surrender the relics and their base location, yet they cannot let more humans get taken from them. Rubbing his chin, he thought of something and spoke to the others about it.

Optimus Prime: "Maybe there is a way in saving John and Elsa while keeping our relics and the secret base."

The group heard him and started to wonder what he was planning.

Ratchet: "You have a plan, Optimus? Well then tell us what it is!"

Optimus looked towards the team and wondered if they're ready for it.

Optimus Prime: "I will… But keep in mind, it is something that most of you won't like."

* * *

Meanwhile, up in the sky, the Nemesis was flying high in the air, reaching to the meet up where the Autobots would make a trade. Starscream was up on the bridge looking to the view of the sky and waiting until they reach their destination. One of the drones then spoke to him of the status report.

"Commander Starscream. We are approaching the meeting point. ETA; ten breems."

Starscream heard him and was pleased with the news.

Starscream: "Steady a course, and make sure the ship is hovered over the trading site above the clouds. I do not want to cause any panic from the humans, yet…"

As the flagship was approaching its destination, the door opened up and Knockout came in, asked of the commander's plan.

Knockout: "Starscream, I'm fully aware that we are all desperate in eliminating the Autobots and conquering this planet. But with all due respect, this is a little extreme, even for you. Are you really going to make that huge of a risk, just to have Megatron gain your trust?"

Starscream turned to him and told him that he has everything under control.

Starscream: "Knockout, I understand your concern, but this is something that must be done. Megatron needs my trust as a commander of his armada. And the last thing I want is to get exiled, yet again. This ransom of those two humans would help me in getting into our lord's graces."

The doctor rolled his eyes and could tell that he had forgotten something.

Knockout: "And what about our mission? We were suppose to find out on how the Autobot's human companions turned into Cybertronian. Now you're trying to do this in an attempt of improve on our master's trust. Don't you think that maybe what we have is proof enough that he would accept it?"

Starscream sighed and told him that he has some.

Starscream: "Oh, I got proof, so far. Just going to need to see what Soundwave managed to recover. But if I give him what he wants, then perhaps there won't be any more doubts between Megatron and myself. I will be set for life!"

Knockout: "And what about the Autobots? Will they be able to accept your ransom and trade those humans with all those things you wanted? For all I know is that they won't be fooled easily by your promise."

Starscream turned to the medic and assured him that it was going to work.

Starscream: "Oh, they'll pull through with their side of the bargain. After all, they're weakness is the protection of humanity. And giving that those two are close to that team, Optimus and his rag tag group would have no choice in saving them, especially when we'll kill those humans soon after. Two more casualties in this war, I say."

By the time he said that, the door opened again and this time, Soundwave came out of it. Scream slanted to the side to see him and was pleased that he had come.

Starscream: "Ah… Soundwave. What an opportune time in coming here. I need you to start alerting the humans around the area to evacuate. I want our trade with the Autobots to be a private affair and do not want any humans to witness it. I don't want complications…"

Soundwave remained silent and stood there like that of a robot, even if he actually is. The commander looked to him and wondered what's the hold up. He quickly marched towards him and demanded why he isn't sending the message."

Starscream: "What are you doing, Soundwave, deliver that message to the humans so we can be alone with the Autobots!"

He got a closer look at the screen and wondered if there is something he needed. That's when the monitor was turned on and it showed the progression bar fully at 100%. Scream saw this and realized what he's trying to tell him.

Starscream: "What's this? You have fully recovered the data we gathered in those human terminals?"

The Intelligence Officer nodded in response as Scream bashed him for not showing it.

Starscream: "Well, what are you waiting for? Show me!"

Soundwave responded by showing the information he gathered on his visor from any known detail that he has. Scream and Knockout looked to this and could tell that most of the information is tempting. But the one thing that caught the doctor off guard was the logo in the middle that had the planet with a cog wheel border and the title that was very familiar.

Knockout: "MECH…? Wait a nano click! I know them! They were the ones that dissected Breakdown and used his hallow shell as a vessel for Silas."

Starscream heard him and remembered that group as well.

Starscream: "Indeed… They are the same ones that took my old T-Cog as well. So MECH is the one responsible for turning those humans into Cybertronians. Question is, why?"

He looked through the information and noticed what appears to be a bunch of video logs within one of the windows. He soon told him to open it.

Starscream: "Soundwave… Those video files… Play one of them."

Soundwave nodded and clicked on the video file from the list. From there, a video recording popped up show a shadowed man sitting on his desk looking confident and stern. Though the commander didn't get a chance seeing this person's face he could hear him in that southern accent, explaining of past events.

Director: _"The uneventful betrayal of Silas was is bit of a blow throughout MECH. Still, his unexpected departure could leave opportunities for me. See, while Silas's Project Chimera had some possibilities, his idea of controlling it like a remote control car tends to have some flaws. In order to create a perfect robotic soldier, one must have a soul to match that of the body. See, by obtaining Silas's files and the combination of ingenuity by Professor Sumdac and the energon searches, I have finally been able to complete my own experiment. All I needed are a few test subjects that would prove that it works. I already got Commander Rourke and his men dispatched to retrieve these test subjects. They are of course friends of these Autobots and they would be perfect for experimentation. I promise the board that Project Metamorphosis will succeed as planned. Let us hope that all that hard work has paid off."_

The video soon stopped as the window closed. Both Starscream and Knockout watched it all as the medic was intrigued by it.

Knockout: "Hmm… Project Metamorphosis, huh? That sounds a little interesting…"

Starscream thought of that too and decided to keep checking the rest of them out.

Starscream: "Open the rest of the videos. I need to see more of this experiment MECH performed."

Soundwave nodded as he opened up the next video for more information.

* * *

Back at the base, Optimus explained on his plan and given enough details in how it will go down. The team listened in and didn't like where this plan was going.

Bulkhead: "You're kidding us, right? You want us to do that?! With all due respect, sir, I do believe your time in Darkmount must've made you loose some of your processor power."

Arcee then was next to him and explained about it to.

Arcee: "I agree with Bulkhead, Optimus. This is the worse idea you can come up with!"

Optimus understood his team's concerned and explained that it was the only option they have.

Optimus Prime: "While it isn't much of a wise decision, it is the only way in saving John and Elsa."

Arcee crossed her arms and didn't like it at all.

Arcee: "Even so, it is the heaviest risk you've made so far. I'm all up for saving those two from the Cons, but what you're saying is downright ludicrous!"

Fowler was watching the whole thing go down on the live feed and spoke to him of this.

Agent Fowler: _"Arcee is right, Prime. Of all the missions that almost got yourself into trouble, this one takes the biggest piece of the American apple pie. What makes you think this plan is going to pull through?"_

Optimus turned to him on the screen and answered the most honest way he can.

Optimus Prime: "Because you have to trust me on this mission and see it succeed all the way through. With John and Elsa in grave danger, we must pull all the stops that we have in order to rescue them."

Ratchet the approached his side and asked of one part of the plan.

Ratchet: "As much as I appreciate this plan of yours Optimus, are you sure it is wise to bring them along? It could risk the mission, let alone the safety of John and Elsa."

He turned to the medic and told him that it is the best he has.

Optimus: "While it is a risk in having them on this mission, it is the only way in saving the two humans. If we do not pull this off, we will not be seeing John and Elsa again."

The rest of the team heard him and knew that they have no other option left on the table. He soon turned to Arcee and told her to get the two Cybertronians not present just now.

Optimus Prime: "Arcee, bring Jack and June back here. I'm certain that the young Prime has already calm down."

The femme nodded as she left the command center and headed to the barracks the other two went into. Once she left, Optimus turned to the others and gave them the orders.

Optimus Prime: "Once Firewall is able to pinpoint the actual location of the meet up with Starscream, we will begin with the mission. Ratchet, you, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack head to the treasury to gather all that we need and place them in my trailer truck when we get a lock on Starscream's position. We need to be prepared when we roll out."

Ratchet heard that and realized something.

Ratchet: "But Optimus… You're still recovering! You are not clear for active duty yet, even if you are a Prime!"

Optimus turned to him and told him that it will be all right.

Optimus Prime: "While my injuries would slow me down, it doesn't mean that I can still fight for what I believe in. And what I believe in is to make sure the no more humans will suffer from the Decepticons wrath, including John and Elsa. We cannot let them die in our watch, no matter what. I just pray that no harm had come to them."

* * *

Back at the Nemesis, Starscream and Knockout watched every video log that was made and knew what really happened. Knockout especially as he rubbed his metal chin with interest.

Knockout: "Huh… So that's how those new Cybertronians are made. Very unique if I do say so myself."

Starscream though looked to him and wasn't impressed.

Starscream: "Oh please… Is that how they created these new soldiers of theirs? Turning them into energon, altering their genetic structure, and shocking them back to life? It's almost like they want to become the next Primus, which is against all things that our creator stands for. How pitiful…"

The medic though looked to him and told him that it would be something they should do.

Knockout: "Still… Don't you think that maybe we could've done that for our armada. I mean, we have a huge army, maybe it would be best if we use this information to make it bigger."

Scream turned to him and decided to let him know that it was not the case.

Starscream: "As much as we can improve our ranks, I still think that it is extremely unsanitary that we turn the very things we despise into one of us. I don't believe Megatron would approve of that."

He soon thought of something and had a wicked grin on his face.

Starscream: "Looking at all of the evidence, however, this does open the door to other opportunities."

He turned to the Intel officer and told him to go with the commander.

Starscream: "Come with me, Soundwave."

He soon walked away as the Intel officer followed him. Knockout looked to this and was confused at what was going on.

Knockout: "Um… Where do you think you're going, commander?"

Scream stopped as the door opened in front of him. Without turning, he explained what he's going to do.

Starscream: "Why, I'm going to see our little guests and show them something. Let me know when we're at the meeting point."

So he started to walk away with Soundwave following, closing the door behind them. That left the medic starring on and was dumbfounded.

Knockout: "Okay…"

* * *

Back at the holding cell, both John and Elsa were still kept hanging as they had to find a way in escaping. Still, with them suspended in the air with stasis cuffs and electric chains, there is no way in making their way out of this. John slowly turned to see his fratello and asked if she's all right.

John Darby: "Elsa…? Can you hear me?"

Elsa heard him and turned to respond.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes… I hear you."

John Darby: "How are you holding up…?"

Elsa grunted and told him that she's fine.

Elsa de Sica: "I'll manage…"

John chuckled and never thought she could survive that.

John Darby: "Good… I'm surprised that you can take that much punishment. No one would survive something like that. How did you do that?"

Elsa sighed and remembered about the changes in her body.

Elsa de Sica: "I don't know… But my guess is that the changes in my body have made me more impervious to pain. So I guess that all the energon coursing through me is just a mere tickle compared to what a normal person feels."

John heard that and couldn't help but to feel relieved by it.

John Darby: "You are always full of surprises, huh Elsa?"

She nodded and smiled to him. He too smiled back before he got serious and decided to focus on getting out.

John Darby: "Regardless, we can't get out of this prison and find a way out. Do you know anything in your arsenal?"

Elsa shook her head and responded.

Elsa de Sica: "I don't think so… Whatever is happening to me, there is still doubt that I could make my own escape. But I got to figure out what else I have that could be effective."

John Darby: "Well you better make it quick. There's no telling when that Con is going to show up."

By the time he said it, he could hear the sound of metal steps getting closer. Elsa heard it too and knew what it meant.

Elsa de Sica: "Too late… Here he comes!"

The two turned to the cell door and waited for it to open. Once the footsteps made an immediate stop, the door slip open and Starscream came in with a cocky confidence on his face. Behind him was Soundwave this time, as he stepped in and was by your side. The two soon approached the prisoners as Starscream decided to speak to John of something. The Darby though wouldn't let down as he decided to play it cool.

John Darby: "What do you want this time, Starscream. I already told you that I won't tell you of the location of the Autobots base. So don't waste my time."

The commander though wasn't going to do that as he got close to him and decided to let something out.

Starscream: "Oh, I have all the time that I need, human. And I'm going to use that time to have a little chat with you."

John Darby: "And what, pray tell, do you want to speak about?"

Scream gave a low laugh as he decided to discuss about what they were talking about earlier.

Starscream: "You've stated before that you are the sire and companion of the two humans that the Autobots have. Tell me, how long since you last saw them?"

John looked to the commander and could tell that he was planning something. Wish he knew what it was. He decided to play this game and explained as much as he could.

John Darby: "Last time I saw them is when I was leaving from Jasper, after saving Elsa and recovering the Intel you Cons took from the agency. Optimus promised me that he will keep them safe. Though I find it highly unlikely since I came back and he told me that I'm not ready to see them yet. Wish I knew why?"

Starscream could see that he was telling the truth and knew that he was right.

Starscream: "At least he's being honest. But I do believe why he told you not to see them."

John looked to him with a deep stare and wonder what he meant by that.

John Darby: "What are you talking about?"

Starscream soon got him where he wants him and decided to let him know of something.

Starscream: "You see, Mr. Darby, Optimus is keeping a deep and dark secret from you. See, while you left, a lot has changed during your absence. Not only that the Autobot/Decepticon war was revealed when we attack your home, but you family has changed, in the worse of ways."

John heard that and was really confused.

John Darby: "You do you mean by a dark secret? What changes?"

Now that got his attention, as Starscream decided to show him.

Starscream: "Oh, I would like to explain everything in fine detail. But why don't I show you, what you humans call, a wake up call. Soundwave?"

He turned to the Intel officer and waves him to show the Darby something. He nodded and approached the prisoners while the commander stepped back. He soon was in front of the two prisoners and got down to the level where they could see his visor. Almost immediately, the screen was turned on and showed static. John starred at the screen and wondered what this Con was up to. But when the screen changed, he saw something really shocking. He saw what looked like his wife and son inside a strange glass tube of some kind, along with Raf and Miko. His eyes were wide and were completely surprised by this.

John Darby: "June!? Jack!?"

In this video a mysterious man was in the view looking to the four as he was explaining something with his southern like accent.

Director: _"You see, Silas's Project Chimera had proven so much for our cause. Our technology, combined with the alien's biology had proven to be quite an effective weapon. Unfortunately for him, he failed to accomplish one thing. For even though he created the body of their kind…"_

Raf: _"He didn't create the soul of one."_

He looked at the young boy and smiled at his answer.

Director: _"Quite perceptive of you Mr. Esquivel! Quite perceptive indeed. You see, although Silas understood the Cybertronian's structure and inner workings, he failed to grasp the understanding of their soul. All he created was a lifeless, mindless, soulless machine without any thought or feelings. Such a shame that it was laid to waste. But what he lost, I gained. With him gone, I now have possession of all the research Silas made since he discovered this alien race. What I discovered is that they are sort of like us. Aside from the few variations we lack, we have such strong similarities, from genders, to what keeps us alive. After studying his research, I have found a way to create the perfect robotic soldier, both inside, and out. And you four, are going to help me make that possible."_

Jack just heard every word he said and was getting uncomfortable with his words.

Jack: _"What does it have to do with us?"_

The Director turned to him and asked him something.

Director: _"Have you ever gone to a science class Mr. Darby? Did they teach you about the metamorphosis of a butterfly, starting from a caterpillar to a cocoon, all the way to the final product? With the help of Professor Sumdac here, we have created the ultimate invention that is similar to the butterfly's lifecycle. Allow me to introduce you all to: Project Metamorphosis."_

The second he said that, all the lights in the room went on as the camera panned to where they project was located. John got a good look at the screen and was incredibly shock by what he was witnessing. He could see a huge room, big enough for a robot to fit in. On the left, he saw large multiple berths, with wheels that can be moved remotely and a humanoid mold at the top. Above the berths were crane like arms meant to hold some kind of object. There was another command console next to the tanker with many laser-guided arms used for something important. And to top it all off, a huge tanker right behind the four. John looked to the sight of it and was extremely confused by it all.

John Darby: Wha… What is all this? Why are my family stuck in those tubes?!"

Starscream was starting to enjoy the show as he told him to keep looking.

Starscream: "Keep watching. It gets better…"

The audio was faint when the two were talking, but John got a chance hearing this southern guy explaining about the project.

Director: _"See, by looking into Silas's research, I knew that what he was missing was to make his robot like that of a human, filled with feelings and emotions. This project is capable of fixing that problem. In short, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, all of this will turn a human into the kind that MECH has been interested in for some time."_

There was a brief silence until Miko looked at this person and was a little confused.

Miko: _"And what it that supposed to mean?"_

Raf heard this too and tried to piece it all together. After gathering the information, the realization hit him as he turned to Miko for the answer.

Raf: _"Don't you get it Miko? He said that all of this is used to turn humans into Cybertronians."_

He then made one big gulp and realized what they were in for.

Raf: _"And we're the first in line to take part in this."_

John heard this and didn't think that was going to be possible.

John Darby: "Turning humans into Cybertronians? That's not scientifically possible. Is it?"

Scream was enjoying this and told him to continue watching.

Starscream: "Keep looking at the screen… You might be surprised…"

He John starred and the screen as the person that's holding his family captive started to explain about it.

Director: _"Though I can't turn the four of you directly, I do know a way of doing it step by step. But perhaps a little presentation would be in order."_

He walked away to what appeared to be a table with a wine glass and a metallic gray canister as the camera panned to him. John watched on and wondered what he was going to do to them. When he approached the table, he picked up the canister and slowly opened the lid. Once it was fully opened, he looked at the four and asked them a quick question.

Director: _"Tell me my friends; can you guess what this is?"_

He started to lift the container over the wine glass and poured it in. What came out of the container was a strange light blue liquid with a low glow to it. Looking at this liquid, Jack knew what it was.

Jack: _"Uh guys? That's energon."_

John heard that and was curious about that.

John Darby: "Energon? What does that have to do with my family?"

He continued to watch the visor as the person that captured them chuckled as he lifted the wine glass filled with the liquid and examined it.

Director: _"Quite right, my dear boy. Energon. From what Silas added to one of his reports was that energon is the Cybertronian equivalent of human blood, and can be used for fuel, ammunition, and medicine. But what I've discovered is that this energon is actually the basic building blocks for creating these alien beings. Upon closer examination, I discovered that this energon has its own molecular structure, its own genetic code if you will. If I were able to alter that type of code, I could create the robotic soldiers needed to change history as we know it. The only problem is that the code is bland, impossible to alter. But there is an alternative solution."_

Jack swallowed a lump in his throat and didn't like the sound of it.

Jack: _"Alternative solution?"_

The camera panned back to the four captured humans as the machine they were in started to hum to life as compartments behind and above them opened up. They didn't know that the scientists at the main computer had started to work on this project until it was too late. Red beams then came out and slowly started to scan them. The Director placed the glass on the table and headed back to the main console, explaining to them what they were in for.

Director: _"You see this substance, like any other substance, is mostly made out of water. And believe it or not, the human body contains 35 liters of water along with some other saline fluids. The perfect opportunity to test out the first phase of my project, the caterpillar stage if you will. That huge tanker attached to your containers contains around 50,000 gallons of Energon, enough to create a huge army. It wasn't easy searching for untapped mines holding that much energon, but we were successful regardless. Once you all have been converged, we can use your genetic code to make some alterations. Making you more like your friends, if you will."_

Jack heard all of this and wondered what he meant by "converged". But then it hit him. The energon, the containers, and this "first stage" he was talking about. He suddenly realized what he was going to do to them.

Jack: _"You're going to turn us into energon?!"_

John heard this and was shocked by what this guy's plan was.

John Darby: "What?! Turning humans to energon? And they're starting with my family. That's insane!"

Starscream heard him and told him that it wasn't.

Starscream: "That's where you are wrong, human. Just wait until you see the end result."

John heard this and looked to the screen to see the video still rolling and this person talking.

Director: _"In order for me to create new life, I need to destroy the old. Sometimes success requires sacrifice, including human lives."_

Miko turned back to the Director and had a disgusted look on her face.

Miko: _"Dude, that's sick!"_

The Director turned to her and responded.

Director: _"Is that so? Well I'm not a sick man, girl. What I am is an innovator, trying to change history every second. This latest work will prove to the world that MECH is a dominating force. And what better way to test Project Metamorphosis than with the help of the Autobots' friends. You should feel lucky; you are going to take part in this wondrous event."_

He turned to one of the scientists and gave a nod to begin. The four then heard a humming noise from behind and knew that the machine was distributing energon into their tubes. They heard compartments opening at the bottom of their tubes and looked down to see what was coming. What they saw was energon pooling around their feet and slowly rising. The glowing pool rose up to their knees, then their waist, then their chests, until they were swimming in the goo. Fear was accelerating in their hearts as the energon pool was filling the tube and their heads almost hit the ceiling. The Director looked on and was smiling at their predicament. He turned his back to them and headed to the console to complete the job leaving the view of the camera.

Director: _"I should let you know that you won't be able to experience the rest of my project, given the condition you will soon be in. So whether this succeeds or fails, I would like to thank you for taking part in my grand achievement."_

Miko decided to pull a last ditch effort and threatened this new leader.

Miko: _"You are going to be so sorry for this, four eyes! When the Autobots rescue us, they are going to teach you a lesson!"_

There was a short silence in the room as the Director listened to the girl's useless threat.

Director: _"The Autobots? Rescue you? I'm counting on it…"_

By the time he said that, the four tubes had electrical prods on the top and bottom and they started to glow brightly. Instantly, the four were shocked by multiple volts of electricity, each successive shock stronger than the last. June, Raf, and Miko screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through their body and the energon glowed brighter from the volts with Jack keeping his mouth shut during the whole torture. John watched on and struggled to get out of the cuffs after watching that torture. But it seemed fruitless as he was suspended in the air and the cuffs were difficult to get out. He soon watched the screen and saw something he never expected. What he saw are the bodies of him family, Raf, and Miko melting into the substance with high enough intensity and was combining with the energon. He starred with his jaw agape and was horrified at the sight of it.

John Darby: "My god…"

* * *

Back at the Autobot base, June was walking through the hall barracks to find her son. Looking around, she looked to the door leading to his room and knew that he was in there. Approaching that door, she gave a deep sigh and wondered if she would be ready for what he was going to say. She gently knocked on the door and asked if he was in there.

June/Altra: "Jack…? Sweetie…? Are you in your room? It's your mom. Can I come in? I want to speak to you about something."

There was a bit of silence as she waited to see if he would respond. After a few seconds, she could hear Rodimus's voice through the door.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Come in…"

By the time he said that, the door opened, letting Altra to get in. Taking a deep breath through the ventilation system, she entered his room and saw Rodimus sitting on his berth, looking right at the picture he recovered during the rescue mission at Darkmount. Seeing this, she decided to speak to him of how he's feeling.

June/Altra: "How are you holding up?"

Jack kept starring at the picture as he answered his mother's question.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Oh… Well… I'm feeling alright. I mean, other then seeing my own dad and Elsa captured by the Cons and held for ransom, and the fact that the rest of the team knew of them coming here before hand and not telling us till now, then yeah… Just dandy…"

The nurse heard him and knew that he was really bummed of what just happened. So she decided to head to his berth and sat next to him. She took a good looked at the damaged pictured frame and saw the group picture of them, Raf, Miko, the Autobots, and John and Elsa in the old base, way back when the two were once human. Looking to the picture, she couldn't help but to smile over the look of it.

June/Altra: "Ah… Isn't that sweet. It's us with John, Elsa, your friends, and the Autobots. This was when John and returning to Italy and thought we have a group picture before he was leaving. Always place it on the living room night stand to remind me of that occasion."

Jack nodded and remembered about that.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Yeah… Was able to recover this picture at our old home in Jasper during that rescue mission. It is the only thing that reminded me of what we were before… Well… What we have become."

He looked to his servo and flexed it, remembered that he used to have been human before MECH took them and experimented on them. Altra heard her son and sighed about what happened.

June/Altra: "Yes… How could I forget about that?"

Jack then took a breather and explained about what had happened in the command center.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You know, I never imagined dad coming back to find us. I thought that he would stay in Italy, away from the whole Decepticon invasion. But now… After seeing him and Elsa on the video, held for ransom, and in grave danger… I don't know what to think. I know that everyone was keeping that secret from us for our own protection. But they should at least let us know about their arrival as soon as possible. Now the Cons have them and has threaten to kill them if the Bots don't give Starscream what they want. And I don't know who should I point blame on. Optimus? Fowler? Anyone on Team Prime? I never felt so conflicted in my life!"

He put his servo on his face and was completely overwhelmed of the whole situation. June looked to her son and felt sorry for what he's going through. After all, he had seen his dad and Elsa in the hands of the Decepticons. And now he doesn't know what to do. Seeing this, she decided to comfort him and told him all he needs to know. Placing her servo on his shoulder, she decided to calm his troubled processor.

June/Altra: "Jack… Listen… I know that you are going through so much right now, after what you saw. But please understand, the Autobots had a really good reason in keeping this from you. I mean, just look at us. We're no longer human! We have become Cybertron thanks to MECH and you are now a Prime. And your father, my husband, doesn't know of what really happened to us. Do you really think that if he found us and saw us like this, you think that he would be happy after seeing us looking like Autobots ourselves?"

Jack turned to her to see her Cybertronian body and realized what she meant.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I guess you made a good point. If dad saw us like this, he would freak out."

June chuckled and was in agreement with what he said.

June/Altra: "Exactly! That is why Optimus and his team kept it a secret from us. Not only does it keep us safe, but it also prevents John from knowing what really happened to us. We all know what the end result was going to be John upset about it. Now as far as what you said before, you can't put blame on anyone in the team. If there's only one person you could blame on, it should be me."

Rodimus looked to her and was a bit shocked by it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You…? Seriously?! You're pulling my leg."

June/Altra: "No, it's true. See, I was planning on calling John to let him know that we're all right once everything was settled in the whole Jasper Invasion incident. But when we were being taken to be relocated and MECH attacked and took us to become their science experiment… I… I never got a chance to speak to him, cause I was afraid that he would get suspicious and come here to see us like… this! And now that he and Elsa came back and got taken by the Cons, I don't know what to do. If maybe I would've told him sooner, then none of us shouldn't be in this mess. I feel so sorry for what happened just now."

She slumped her shoulder blades and could feel at fault of the whole thing. Especially since June didn't tell him the moment things got settled before the MECH incident. Jack listened to her and understood why she didn't say it soon. He even couldn't help but to feel sorry for her. She was the one that kept speaking to his dad on hold and he understood that situation of what would happen. And now that it has gone down, there is no avoiding it. Sighing, he decided to comfort her by placing his servo to her knee and rubbed it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom… I'm sorry… I never knew you kept this from me."

Altra sighed and knew that he didn't like what he heard.

June/Altra: "I suppose that you hate me for this, huh?"

Rodimus shook his head and explained about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "No, I don't hate you! To be honest, this is the same situation I had to go through when I had to keep the secret from the Autobots not long ago. And we all know how that went."

June shivered and remembered about that time.

June/Altra: "Don't remind me… I still have nightmares of that spider thing that wanted to melt my face."

The two were silent as Jack decided to say something about before.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom? Do you remember what you and Arcee told me a while ago?"

The nurse turned to her son and knew what he was saying.

June/Altra: "I do. That no matter what happens, we will always be a family."

Jack turned to her and said that she was right.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Exactly! Indeed, what you did was a bit questionable, but you're not the only one that kept a secret. I was the one that kept the secret from the Autobots from you for your own safety. Not only that, but dad kept the secret of the agency and their operations from us when he first came back. We didn't know of that until Airachnid decided to attack the both of us and Elsa. Not to mention Elsa revealed the secret to protect dad. Whatever the case, we all kept secrets from each other and felt sorry about it. However, giving the reprecautions that transpired, we all learn to accept it and move on to our lives. And that's what a family does. We worked together, we share each other's secrets, and we accept what we did and learn from them. And this secret you kept from him has led to dad and Elsa getting caught and being used as bargaining chips by the same enemy that took me and my friends to surrender the Omega keys. Now, we need to work together to save them, as a family."

June listened to him and was in strong agreement. He was right that it was her fault that she kept this secret that led to her husband and Elsa being taken by Cons. It is her fault that they are in this mess, and now she has to get them out of it. Giving this some serious thoughts, she decided to take his side and looked to her son with determination.

June/Altra: "You're right, Jack. We are a family! And as a family, we need to save John and Elsa from the Cons. It's my fault their in this mess, now it's our time to save them!"

The Prime in training smiled to her and was pleased with her decision. Just as she said that, the two heard a voice from in front of them.

Arcee: "And what better time then now?"

The two heard that and turned to that direction to see Arcee standing there, leaning on the open doorway. Rodimus blinked and was surprised she was there.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Arcee?! How long have you been there for?"

The femme rolled her optics around and answered back.

Arcee: "Not long… Though I did hear what you said. Certainly learned a valuable lesson, did ya?"

The new Prime turned red and turned away. Before things could get awkward, the two-wheeler got serious and told them to return.

Arcee: "Anyways, you are needed back at the command center, post haste. Optimus has a job for the two of you."

Both Darby's heard that and got off the berth, both of which having surprised looks on their faces.

June/Altra: "Has the team got a plan to save John?"

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "And Elsa?"

Arcee rubbed the back of her helm and answered them somewhat.

Arcee: "Um… Sort of… Come with me."

She soon walked away while the two followed, wondering what the plan is.

* * *

Coming back to the Nemesis, John watched helplessly as he saw the video feed on Soundwave's visor of what has happened to his family. The results shocked him so much as he saw June, Jack, Raf, and Miko melted into the energon and turned into multicolored energon cubes. Then those energon cubes are taken to a machine with red lines that looked like they were writing their genetic structures. Then all the energon cubes were taken to huge berths with a molding on them and were poured into the substance. He witnessed it all and found it to be completely impossible. The camera panned to the three individuals, while the stout one, who was the scientist was slowly amplifying the energy output and electricity shocked the berths, making the energon bubble. But the person in charge of the project wasn't impressed and amplified the energy output to the highest of power. It was then that the electric prods started to overheat and cause an electrical surge that is just as powerful as an EMP. So powerful that in knocked the camera out and has nothing but static. John watched in disbelief as he wondered what really happened to them. After a couple of seconds, John saw the screen returning to normal and noticed the energon pools in the mold heavily bubbling. That's when he saw wires coming out of the energon and spreading on the berths. He could even see parts materializing and armor covering those said parts up. But the one thing he got caught with are the faces. When the faces were fully formed, he could see the likeness of his son and wife in many ways possible. Once the changes were complete, the person in charge of the project turned to his people and muttered these words.

Director: _"Gentlemen, savor this moment. Because tonight, we have officially made history…"_

As soon as he said that, the video cut to static and the visor was turned off, ending the video feed. John watched it all and was completely speechless of what he just saw. Starscream could tell that he was perplexed and approached him to see if he can even breathe.

Starscream: "You seem awfully quiet, human. Is there something the matter?"

John slowly turned to Starscream and demanded some serious answers.

John Darby: "Wh… What did I just saw? What was that on the screen?! I want answers, and I want them now!"

Starscream could tell that John was extremely confused and wanted to give him what he wanted.

Starscream: "Why Mr. Darby… I'm shocked! You always wanted to know where your family is. Well, now you got your answer."

John looked to the screen and then back to Starscream, not believing anything he saw.

John Darby: "No… No! I don't believe this! It has to be a trick! That's right! You Decepticons always have a knack in deceiving anyone. You fixed a recording to make me think of what happened! That wasn't real!"

Scream sighed and knew that he's being thick headed, so we tried to explain about it in detail.

Starscream: "Why is it so hard for you to understand. That recording you saw actually came from a terrorist organization most of us are familiar with. We were investigating the appearance of some unknown energon and managed to recover some Intel at one of the spots. What you saw was actual video evidence of what happened to your family. Because that said evidence do state that they have been transformed into Cybertrons, transformed into us."

John was very horrified at the fact and lowered his head down in complete shame. He was doubting what Starscream said and contemplating if it was the truth or not.

John Darby: "No… It can't be… There's no way my family would turn into robots… There isn't…"

The commander got him where he wants him and approached the Darby. Placing his sharp digit to his cheek, he made him look up to him and decided to deliver the crushing blow.

Starscream: "You doubt me, human? You think that I'm a liar? Indeed I made mistakes that I have the experience in bending the truth here and there. But this time, I'm being awfully honest to you. Your family had been turned into alien robots, over some human's personal game and are stuck like that for the rest of their lives. It's a shame that you never got a chance meeting them since their changes. Which is why they never contacted you, for fear that they will know of what transpired to them. I just hope you're happy about what you find. All that hard work, all the investigating had come to this. This is what you wanted, answers to the whereabouts of your family. You got it. You don't believe me? Why not ask Optimus, since he knows of this as much as any other Autobot. In fact, we are going to be meeting with him and his team for a simple tradeoff. I'm sure you two will have a lot to talk about."

John turned his head away and didn't want to speak about it. Soon enough, he could hear a beep in is helm as someone was calling him. Placing his digits to his audio receptor, he asked of what is going on.

Starscream: "Yes. What is it?"

It was then that he heard Knockout on the other end and explained the recent news.

Knockout: _"Forgive the interruption, commander, but we are approaching the trade off point. Shall we bring the humans out to begin the trade?"_

Starscream was silent until he came up with the perfect plan and a low and quiet voice.

Starscream: "No, that will be too simple. Leave the humans on the ship. We'll have the Autobots trade the relics and the location of the base on our own. Once there, we bring the humans to them, in pieces no doubt."

Knockout was quiet until he responded.

Knockout: _"Understood. I will begin the landing procedures. Just be here when we land, okay? Out."_

Starscream nodded and turned off his comm., getting ready to leave. He soon turned to the two prisoners and told them to stay put.

Starscream: "Now if you excuse me, I need to meet up with the Autobots for a little trade. You two get comfortable until I get back. I won't take too long, I promise…"

He soon walked away from the two as Soundwave followed behind. As soon as the cell door closed, John starred off into space, trying to reflect on what he just witnessed.

John Darby: "No… This cannot be… This cannot be… My family can't be Cybertronians… It's not true… It cannot be true…"

While he was debating if what he saw is real or not, Elsa looked to him and felt sorry for him in many ways. She too saw everything on Soundwave's visor and was a little skeptic of the portrayal of John's family's demise. She knows that it was impossible to turn humans into Cybertronians. But she was a cybernetic soldier created by an organization that lied to the public that it was a charity facility. So whoever created Cybertronians out of humans could have some type of tech necessary to change John's family. And seeing John himself conflicting on what he saw, she is worried of what his mentality will be like if he actually sees them. Will it be rage? Sadness? Confusion? Anger? Those were the things that will be swirling in his head after watching that. Still, she hoped for the best as she mutters his name a little lowly.

Elsa de Sica: "John…"

* * *

Back at the base, the Autobots were waiting for June and Jack to come in so they can begin the rescue attempt. As they were waiting, Raf picked something up on the map and told Optimus about it.

Raf/Firewall: "Optimus! The traced call Starscream has left us has stopped!"

The Prime leader turned to the hacker as the others looked on in wonderment.

Optimus Prime: "Are you sure, Firewall?"

He nodded and showed him where the dot has stopped at.

Raf/Firewall: "Positive. I've been tracking the comm. frequency Starscream made and been following it since. By the looks of the trajectory and the vast landscape, I assume that the Nemesis has made its stop…"

He let one hand let go of the keyboard as the wires reverted back into his arm and pointed to the dot at the trade location.

Raf/Firewall: "There! It's over New Orleans. Fortunately they are not near the city entirely, just a small patch of land far away from humans. I'll get a visual of the mapping grid."

He went into his keyboard and typed furiously with both his hand and the wires on his arms. As he did it, the image fizzled until it shows a live map of the Nemesis hovering over what looked like a theme park that was abandoned for some time. Miko looked to this and was a little skeptic.

Miko/Kaosu: "So the trade off is located in an amusement park? Unless that Cons are inviting you to ride some rides, I find that highly unlikely."

Vince looked to this and remembered what this theme park was.

Vince: "Wait a second… I know that place! It's Six Flags New Orleans!"

Sari and Sam turned to him and was a bit shocked while the other looked to him with confusion.

Sari: "You kow about that place?"

Vince turned to her and explained about it.

Vince: "My family went there years back during our family vacation and it was a fun place to visit."

Sam though snickered and thought of what he said.

Sam Witwicky: "So you head to theme parks when you were younger and before you became a residential bully?"

He turned to Witwicky and was a little annoyed.

Vince: "Hey! I like to go on the roller coasters when I was younger. I've been a thrill seeker back then."

Sam cocked an eyebrow and was still amused by it. Vince though was seething and could tell that he didn't like Sam's reaction.

Vince: "Don't judge me…"

Fowler, who was on the screen, heard that and checked on the park itself. Searching through the web, he got some detailed information and explained about the place.

Agent Fowler: _"Six Flags New Orleans, which was once known as Jazzland, was one of the many lines of theme parks that harbor the Six Flags name and has been a huge success for three to four years straight. But when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, the levies broke and caused a massive flooding that swept the lower areas of the city and land. And that park was one of its casualties, flooding most of the area in seawater. It had suffered so much damage, that the maintenance deemed the park beyond repair and abandoned it completely. There were rumors that they were planning on demolishing the place and replacing it with a new park or a mini mall, but that hadn't been official, giving that the contractors need to make an approval of the land entirely. Till then, the park will still be in limbo and will remain decretive until any news is announced."_

Wheeljack look to the location and was a little perplexed by the location.

Wheeljack: "Even so, the Cons would be this stupid in placing the trade off there. Why at an abandon theme park of all places. There could still be some eyewitnesses around the area driving by."

Fowler sighed and explained about that.

Agent Fowler: _"Because the government closed off certain freeways that lead to the park. Sometimes it's miles away, meaning there will be no one seeing the trade off with a few exceptions of those Youtubers who take a tour of the amusement park for hits."_

Smokescreen thought of this and came to the conclusion.

Smokescreen: "So basically no one has been there in quite a long time. Let's hope we don't run into a camera crew."

Optimus turned to the team and decided to get this going.

Optimus Prime: "Regardless, we now have the Decepticon's location and will begin to save John and Elsa for it."

Bulk though approached the Prime and asked about this plan.

Bulkhead: "And are you sure that this plan of yours works? This is a very hefty risk we're taking."

The Prime turned to him and told him that it was best for them.

Optimus Prime: "That might be true. But if we are to succeed in this, we must use everything necessary to complete this mission. Which is why we need Rodimus and Altra to aid us in the rescue."

By the time he said that, he could head Arcee from the distance.

Arcee: "And speaking of which, I got them."

Optimus turned to her location and saw her with Jack and June behind her. He soon looked to Jack and asked if he was all right.

Optimus Prime: "Rodimus, I'm hoping that you are okay right now, considering what you have witnessed."

The future Prime shrugged it off and told him that he'll manage.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Well, I am still a little upset about all of you keeping this from me and my mom. But I think I can handle that. Anyways, Arcee said that you have a plan in rescuing my dad and Elsa."

Optimus nodded and explained about it.

Optimus Prime: "Indeed we have. However in order to pull this off, we are going to need your help. And it is a bit risky…"

Both June and Jack looked to each other and wondered what he meant by that. Jack soon turns back to him and decided to take the risk.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Whatever the case Optimus, we are ready for this. So, what's the plan?"

Optimus starred at him and didn't know how he should approach this. Taking a deep breath though his ventilation, he decided to explain the plan in thermal detail.

* * *

Half an hour later, the Nemesis was hovering over the abandon Six Flags theme park while a squad of Decepticons were on high alert on the ground. Down at the main square of the park, Starscream, Soundwave, and Knockout were waiting for the Autobots to arrive with everything they needed but seem to be taking their time.

Knockout: "The Autobots seem to be taking long."

Starscream looked to his medic and told him that it was nothing to worry about.

Starscream: "Patience, Knockout. The team does know how to make an arrival. Just give them time."

The medic soon looked around at the decrepit park and was a little weary about it.

Knockout: "Still, I do believe you would've thought of a more suitable place then in some rickety old theme park for humans. I swear, these fleshies built these places and leave them to rot away. They are certainly lazy in their creations. You certain that no humans will come here?"

The commander gave a chuckle and told him that it won't be a problem.

Starscream: "Humans have never come to this place since this park was abandoned after some flood brought it under water. No one would come here other then to record something on that mindless video website. Even if they would come, I'll have Soundwave play a sound bite to drive them away. I'm certain that there won't be any distractions."

So the three waited for the Autobots to come until they could see a green and blue portal opening up. Everyone saw this and readied their weapons for a standoff as Scream smirked sinisterly on his faceplate.

Starscream: "Here we go…"

They all waited to see if someone is going to come out. That's when a red and blue semi truck drove out of the portal with a light gray trailer truck with an Autobot insignia on the front sides driving out of it followed by a blue and pink motorcycle, a yellow and black Camero, a green supped up SUV, a blue and yellow race car with sevens on the side, a white, red, and green sports car, and a purple and pink McLaren with flame decals. They all drove past the demolished entrance and reached the square where the commander and his comrades were waiting. The moment they stopped, all the vehicles transformed and the Autobots stood proud. The drones pointed their blasters to the team, waiting for the moment to fire. Starscream though raised a servo and ordered them to stop.

Starscream: "Hold your fire! This is only a trade, nothing more."

He soon approached the Prime leader and was glad to meet with him again.

Starscream: "Optimus Prime… So glad to meet you. Last time we've seen each other, you were a guest at Darkmount. Could see that you are recovering well."

He looked to see his leg looking a little limp and added to that.

Starscream: "Though it looks like you still have a bit of a limp on your step. You should really look into that."

Optimus gave a deep glare and remembered the torture he had to go through at Darkmount and blame the Cons for all the injuries he sustained in both the destruction of the old base and at the fortress. He still needs to keep his composure and continue with his plan. Looking around, he noticed John and Elsa weren't around and asked of that.

Optimus Prime: "Where are the prisoners?"

Scream waved it off and explained it to him.

Starscream: "They're in the Nemesis. Thought it would be best they are kept safe on the ship then out here. Could imagine the mentality of what would happen. What about you? Do you have what I requested?"

Optimus heard him and nodded in agreement.

Optimus Prime: "See for yourself."

He turned to the team and gestured them to show him. Arcee gave a nod and approached the trailer, pushing a button on the side. Soon enough, the trailer opened up and revealed what looks like a variety of items. What they were are the Iacon relics comprised of the phase shifter, the polarity gauntlet, the immobalizer, the apex armor, and the Forge of Solus Prime. Starscream looked to this and had a pleasing look on his face.

Starscream: "Excellent…"

* * *

 **So that ends eleven with a bit of a cliffhanger. Now I know there are a lot of people that are a little confused on why the Autobots would surrender their Iacon relics to the Decepticons. Well, that's the genius in Optimus's processor. Optimus always has a plan and he has one that involves the surrendering the relics. What is it? You just need to wait for the next chapter to see for yourself. Trust me, it will be something that will put you at the edge of your seat. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	12. Another Rescue

**Wow! Another Transformers News?! This is unexpected. So ya'll remember Transformers: Robots in Disguise, right? The show that Cartoon Network pulled them into the early Saturday morning where children are still sleeping and Teen Titans Go! took over fifty percent of the weekly schedule. Well, surprising enough, they brought the series back without warning. Now I never heard of this, I didn't know of it, until my DVR had the new series out. That is something I wasn't expecting. Now to be fair, this series came out to promote their new toy line called the Combiner Wars. It's where you combine two transformers into one power one. To me, that feels a little iffy as you have Optimus Prime and Strongarm combining together when they both have different genders and it does get extremely creepy for me. Especially if it meant how they will sound if both voices started to say the same thing in unison. Whatever, at least we got an actual new season of this, and I'm hoping that we get the original characters form the Prime series back. I mean we saw Starscream back, though with a different character design then we intended, and Soundwave was a good call back. Maybe we can see Arcee, Smokescreen, Bulkhead or Wheeljack. I know that they had some of the characters in the comic mini series, but I really wanted to see them in the show. Not to mention seeing Jack, Raf, and Miko back in the fold, a little older then before, and would see how they held up since the end of Prime.**

 **Regardless, it does have the issue of scheduling. As I said before, Cartoon Network is nothing more then a TTG Network as many youtubers would call it. Always force feeding the kids this dumb show because it makes more money and it is easy to make, while having other shows that have potential getting shoved more and more to the wayside until people would forget about it. We seen this with Regular Show when they had their final episode and instead of a marathon of the best episodes of that show, they decided to show of a marathon of Teen Titans Go! along with a few movies. And it gets much, much worse when they did that Easter marathon they did where you have to find certain Easter Eggs of TTG episodes. Why the hell will you do that when the kids are too young to understand any pop culture reference that will clearly be over their heads? It is becoming an addiction that CN need to get out of cause when you air this show more times then others, you will get repetition and viewers, no matter what age they are in, will get bored of this show really fast. Now there will be changes when Cartoon Network adds some new shows, such as Infinity Train, but how long until that will be forgettable when TTG is dominating the channel? This is the reason why I put together my #WherearetheGoodCartoons? campaign, to demand that we need more variety of our cartoon channels and not have marathons of the same show over and over again because of money. And I will keep on using this hash tag until all cartoon channels learn their lesson and make some serious changes. Sorry for complaining about it, but this is something I really wanted to share.**

 **Last chapter is really good. I got four reviews and nearly 550 hits. Looks really good, even though I had to remove guest reviewers demanding an update. It's getting frustrating deleting that and even more so explaining about it. I don't want to do this time and time again. So please, stop telling me to update. I'll update when the chapter is done and post it. If you keep pestering me about it, I will immediately half ass the whole chapter and post it up in a rush job. That is when you get a bad story and major criticisms. But if you are patient enough, I'll give you a good chapter and everyone will all be happy. So again, don't tell me to update my chapter and I'll show it to you when I get it.**

 **On this chapter of Family, the Autobots are surrendering the Iacon relics and the location of the base to Starscream. But of course, there is a bigger plan behind this said surrender. What is it? You need to read to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girls**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Another Rescue

Starscream looked to opened trailer and was surprised by this sudden change. He never through that the Autobots would immediately surrender the relics so easily, let alone accepting his demands. He then gave a quick chuckle and was amazed by the sight.

Starscream: "Why, Optimus, I'm shocked. I never believe that you would trade all that you have with two humans. But this? This is something I would never thought would happen."

Optimus was silent and could tell that his first part of the plan is working. Now all he needs to do is to stall him long enough for the second part to actually work.

Optimus Prime: "I only did what is to be best. To protect humanity no matter what the cost.

Scream just sighed and thought that it was foolish.

Starscream: "Yes, well, it's your own obligation that made you weak. Just like what happened on Cybertron when you surrender your Omega Keys in exchange for your _'formal'_ human friends."

Miko heard this and was a little annoyed about this.

Miko/Kaosu: "You want to pick a fight, Screamy? Why don't I come here and I'll smack your head off completely!"

She turned her servo into a gravity hammer and marched in to give him a piece of her processor. Course, that's when the Cons on the ground and roofs of the dilapidated buildings and rides armed their weapons and aim at her. She stopped dead in her tracks and soon realized the situation that she was in. Bulkhead immediately approached her side and told her to hold the killing spree for later.

Bulkhead: "Kaosu…! Now is not the time to fight! Stand down!"

The commander looked to her and told her to ease off.

Starscream: "Yes, Kaosu… Wouldn't want anything bad happening to the two prisoners."

The Wrecking cadet heard him and gave a deep sigh, lowering her weapon and trying not to loose it, yet. Starscream soon looked to the Prime and demanded that he control her.

Starscream: "You better keep your youngling there in check, Prime. She really does have the tendency to be brash."

He started to look to the relics on the trailer bed and noticed that one was missing.

Starscream: "Even if you manage to get me what I wanted, there is still the matter of the Star Saber sword that is not present."

Optimus looked back at the relics he has and returned to the commander for an explanation.

Optimus Prime: "That might be true, but you need to understand this. While the Star Saber is currently under the possession on young Rodimus, removing it could lead to heavy energon loss, giving that it's a part of him now."

Scream heard that and asked him of the future Prime.

Starscream: "And where is your student, exactly? Shouldn't he be with you to be reunited with his sire?"

Optimus nodded and said a bit of lie behind it.

Optimus Prime: "Indeed he should, but I told him to wait inside the base, along with his mother. I assume that bringing them here could lead to some nerve wrenching moments today."

Starscream heard that and sighed in defeat.

Starscream: "That's too bad… I wanted them to see the look on their faces when we show them the family members that didn't know what really happened to them."

Optimus heard him and could tell that it obvious that Starscream doesn't know of what is going to happen.

* * *

Up above the abandon amusement park, the Nemesis hovers over the trade off and was on stand by. Up on the roof, two Airadicons were patrolling the area, making sure that no one wasn't going to trespass, even though there was none that would trespass in the first place. Suddenly, a green and blue portal opens up above them as one of the Drones noticed it and wondered what it was. Suddenly, a big bot jumped out of the bridge followed by a smaller femme. The two saw them coming out and armed their blasters for an attack. But before they could fire, the bigger bot armed his blaster and fired two shots, hitting them in the head and got them decapitated. The two Cons fell to the floor and were shut down as the other two bots landed on the hull of the ship. Those two were Rodimus Prime and Altra as they managed to make the jump onto the ship to begin the rescue. Jack headed to the edge of the ship to see the amusement park below and the team present. He soon sighs and knew that it was too much of a risk.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Optimus… What are you thinking…?"

* * *

 _He soon played back and moment when they were preparing for the rescue._

 _Flashback…_

 _Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You're going to do WHAT?!"_

 _The room was silent and didn't expect the future Prime to react like that._

 _Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You want to surrender both the relics and the location of our base in exchange of my dad and Elsa? Of all the plans you can think of, this one really takes the cake!"_

 _Smokescreen witnessed it and decided to share a little comfort._

 _Smokescreen: "Well, that went well…"_

 _Optimus could imagine what he's feeling and tried to ease his troubles._

 _Optimus Prime: "Jack, I can understand that this was wrong, but that's just one part of the plan. In reality, this is actually a diversion to lure Starscream away from the Nemesis. There, we will stall him long enough while the two of you will be bridged to the Nemesis and begin the rescue."_

 _Rodimus listened in and didn't like it._

 _Jack/Rodimus Prime: "And what part of this plan makes me feel better? You do realize that you are surrendering the very relics we managed to recover back a Darkmount in the first place? It's almost like you are going to surrender our lives for theirs!"_

 _Prime just simply shrugged it off and reminded the young trainee of the situation._

 _Optimus: "While I do not want to loose these relics, I wouldn't either want to loose two more humans from the Cons, especially since they are part of family. If we are to save them, we must sacrifice as much as we could. Besides, I will distract Starscream long enough until you find John and Elsa and we'll reach for the relics before the Decepticons has a chance to steal them all. After all, Starscream will take his time in gloating on this accomplishment."_

 _Still, the two were also worried of one more thing as June approached him and spoke about it._

 _June/Altra: "Optimus, even if this plan of yours work, there is still the chance of us doing to rescue. Face the facts, John and Elsa doesn't know what really happened to us and if they see us like this, I don't know what their physicy will be and how they will respond."_

 _Optimus looked to her and told her that it was the best of choices._

 _Optimus Prime: "While I agree that assigning you and your son to rescue them raises a lot of questions, I do believe that it was the most logical of choices. Sometimes, we must all confront our fears if we are to accept what we are. John and Elsa will be upset, but as long as you explain to them what really happened, then maybe he understand the suffering both of you went through."_

 _The two remained quite and understood what Optimus meant. They kept this secret for so long that it was impossible to get around it. Now they must confront this problem themselves and hide the secret no longer. Optimus soon move on to the plan and told everyone to get ready._

 _Optimus Prime: "Autobots! It is time we make our trade. Bring all the relics from the vault and prep them into my trailer. Stay close to the relics when we begin the trade. For if Starscream is on to us, we must make sure that he doesn't get anywhere near them. Move out! The more we wait, the less time our friends have in that Nemesis!"_

 _The group nodded as they prep themselves for the rescue. As they were getting ready, Optimus looked to Jack again and told him that it was all right._

 _Optimus Prime: "Jack, I know this is to much to bear. But you need to be strong. If we are to save John and Elsa from a fate worse then death, you must put your trust in me. I promise, we will get John and Elsa back and secure the relics before the Cons get to them. Trust me…"_

 _Jack heard that and nodded, hoping that nothing bad would happen to any of them._

 _End Flashback…_

* * *

Jack played that memory in his processor back and was a little concerned about the plan Optimus has and doesn't know if this was going to work or not. So far, it looks like it was working. But it will be a matter of time before the commander would notice that something was off. June looked to her son and told her to get going.

June/Altra: "C'mon, Jack. The Autobots are distracting the Cons. Now is the time to start the rescue."

Jack sighed and decided to move on with the plan.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Got it."

He soon turned away and contacted Ratchet on the news.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Ratchet, we're on top of the Nemesis. The Decepticons have taken the bait the Autobots gave them."

Ratchet heard it from the other end and was pleased with the news.

Ratchet: _"Good. Starscream is being lured in to the bait. Now all there is left is to get John and Elsa out of the ship while the team keeps the Cons busy."_

* * *

In the base, Ratchet was looking to through the monitors and could see that everything is working right. Raf was at the console as he uses his servos and cables to help with the rescue.

Ratchet: "Course, we need to hurry. Starscream maybe be fool of himself, but he's not easy to be manipulated. Firewall, you got an idea on where they are keeping the prisoners?"

Firewall checked on the computer and got the schematics of the Nemesis.

Raf/Firewall: "Working on it. Thank goodness that we managed to obtain the ship's schematics when we were in Darkmount. Hmm… Looks like the best place that they are keeping John and Elsa is within the brig, somewhere in one of the cells."

* * *

Back out of the Nemesis, Rodimus heard this as Raf finished it up.

Raf/Firewall: _"It's the best of choice to find them."_

The future Prime nodded as he ended the call.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Copy that, Firewall. We'll check it out."

He soon heard Ratchet warning him of something.

Ratchet: _"Be careful, though. Just because most of the Cons are on the ground, doesn't mean that they would leave the ship unattended. Keep a look out for any patrols in the Nemesis. They might be on constant watch."_

Jack sighed and decided to listen to him for once.

Jack/Rodimus: "We'll be careful, Ratch. I'll contact you once we find them. Out."

He soon turned off his comm. and turned to his mom to tell her to move.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Let's get in this ship and find our family."

June nodded as they approached what looked like a lift that can take them down into the ship. Jack soon pushed the button once they got on and the lift made it's slow descent into the Nemesis, much to Starscream not knowing it.

* * *

Back on the ground, Starscream looked to the Prime and felt sorry.

Starscream: "It's a shame that your student isn't here right now. But I do believe it's for the best. Pretty sure he's going through a lot of pressure that his daddy is being held captive. Oh well… No use in crying over spilled energon. Now, why don't we begin? The relics please…"

He offered his servo to grab a hold of relics. Optimus knew that he wants to rush the trade, but he needs to stall him as long enough until Jack and June can rescue John and Elsa and get them out of the ship and into the base. So he decided keep droning on long enough until the rescue is completed.

Optimus Prime: "If we are going to hand you the relics, perhaps we should speak of our terms."

Scream raised an optic ridge and was confused by that.

Starscream: "Terms?"

Optimus Prime: "As you stated before, we have to surrender our relics and the location of our base in exchange of our human counterparts. So on a technical standpoint, we are surrendering. Which means that we have to discuss on our terms."

The commander heard this and was gritting his dental work.

Starscream: "Terms? You are surrendering the relics and your base location and you want to talk about terms?! Do you honestly think that I should do something like that?"

Knockout though approached him and decided to calm things over.

Knockout: "Now Starscream. Let's not freak out over all of this. Remember, the Autobots are being fair with the whole trade and would like to talk on any negotiations related to this. Perhaps we should just listen to them and see what their terms are."

Starscream listened to the medic and groaned to himself.

Starscream: "All right, fine… We'll discuss the terms of the Autobots surrender and trade. Just as long as they don't pull anything funny."

He soon turned to Optimus and decided to let him discuss these terms.

Starscream: "All right, Optimus. Let us discuss your terms."

Optimus heard him and knew that he lured him into the negotiation. He just hope the Rodimus and Altra find them soon enough.

* * *

Inside the Nemesis, the hallway is quiet and there were no drones within the area, yet. Soon enough, the lift that leads to the roof lowered and Jack and June were on it, waiting for the descent. Once they reached the main floor, Rodimus rolled out of it and aimed his blaster and scan the area. When he saw the hall was clear, he took a breather and retracted his blaster.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "We're clear, for now. Come on, let's find the brig and the prisoners."

He stood up and walked away and headed to the cells. June soon followed behind as they looked for them. While they were looking around, they headed to a corner looked around, to see two drones talking to each other. The two got into cover as Rodimus peeked to the see them discussing about orders.

"Keep watch. The Autobots will be trading the relics and location of Starscream, but there's no telling that this could be a distraction. Stay alert."

The other drone nodded as they split to search for anything out of the ordinary. One of which is heading to the family's position. Jack quickly got into cover and could tell that it was bad and looked to his mother.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "One of the Vehicons is heading towards our position. We have to take him before he sees us."

Altra thought about it and came up with a plan.

June/Altra: "I think I know of how to handle this guy."

Back to the drone, he was slowly approaching the corner and decided to make a turn to the right. But just as he did that, he was electric shock through the chest plate and collapsed on the floor. The nurse just stood there with her defibrillators on both ends of her arms and were still sparking.

June/Altra: "The best part of defibrillators is that they make really good tazers."

She soon blew on one of them before retracting them back into her servos. Jack looked to this and was pleased with what she accomplished.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Nice thinking, mom. Now let's hide this drone before anyone notice him."

He looked around and noticed a door close to them. Dragging the unconscious body, he hit the button and the door opened. Once he tossed the body into the room, he closed it and punched the terminal incase someone tries to get in or the guard wants to get out. As soon as it was done, he looked to his mother and told him to keep moving.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "All right. Let's get to them, before we run into some more trouble."

The two soon left the spot and sneaked their way through the ship looking for the brig to free the prisoners. Course, along the way, they encountered a few more guards on constant watch. So they had to take them out and hide the bodies. The first one had his back turned as Rodimus snaked up behind him and gave him a chock hold, cutting off the ventilation and knocking him out completely. He dragged his body to a near by door and opened it to throw him in. The next Vehicon was pacing back and forth as he looked like he was waiting for something to happen. Altra thought of getting this one next as she sneaked up behind him and armed her defibrillators. Rubbing them together for a good enough shock, she placed them in the back and he jolted completely, nearly getting himself electrocuted. With him out, she dragged him to the nearest room and opened the door, throwing him in there. They continued to make their way through the ship, trying not to get caught and taking down any Con that is in their way. They soon stopped midway into a four-way intersection and spotted what looked like two Tankicons and a Combaticon that was heading towards their position. Jack saw this and warns his mother of the situation.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "We got a bunch of heavies. Too difficult to take down. We better hide until they leave."

Altra heard his son and decided to hide as well. Looking around, they could see an open door what was vacant and decided to hide in there. They soon headed into the door and closed the door, hiding away until the ghost is cleared. The three heavies lumbered around as they stopped and peered around the area. Jack opened the door a bit and saw them scanning the area. He groaned and knew that it won't be easy.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Looks like we're going to be in here for a while. Let's just hope they leave soon. Don't know how long Optimus and the others will stall Starscream for."

He turned back and could see his mother sitting on a berth and was quiet of the whole thing. Seeing this, he decided to speak about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom, you okay? I understand that you are a little hesitant over being on this mission, giving that you never been in the field more then I was. But it would've been best that you stay at the base while I handle the rescue."

June looked to him and was a little confident over it.

June/Altra: "No, it's all right. It's better that I join you on this mission. This if our family we're talking about. My husband, your father, is in danger because of me. Elsa de Sica is in danger because of me. If I didn't call him sooner, we would never been in this predicament. Even if I was going to speak to him, there is the notion of what I'm going to talk to him about us being Cybertronian. Let alone the reaction he would have when he saw us like this."

Rodimus sighed and told her it was all right.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It's going to okay, mom. I know this is a lot to take in, but we can work it out. We just need to focus on saving them, and then explain to them about what happened. I'm sure they'll understand."

The nurse looked up to him and understood that. The rescue will get awkward, but they will understand about June and Jack. They just need to explain about it. Jack soon turned to the door and peeked to see if they were gone. Looking back and forth, he could see that the Tankicons and the Combaticon are long gone and the hallway is cleared.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Looks like those heavies were gone. Come on, let's continue with our search and rescue. We better hurry though. Do not know how long the team is going to keep the Cons busy."

June nodded as she got up and the two left the room. When the door opened, the two points their blasters out and checked incase that the three are around. Seeing no one in the area, Rodimus and Altra continued where they left off and headed straight to the brig, hoping that John and Elsa are still safe.

* * *

Down on the ground, Optimus discussed about the terms for the trade. Course, he was keeping Scream busy with the terms, long enough for Rodimus and Altra to rescue the prisoners. So he had to do what needs to be done to succeed with the mission. He started to summarize the terms to make it official.

Optimus Prime: "So you have your word that once I give you the relics and the location of the our base, not only will you swear not attack our base like what you did in Jasper, but also none of my teammates will be harm in any way."

Scream remained silent and was getting annoyed by it. These terms were ludicrous, even for him. Yet, he had to accept them as to just get these relics and the base location. Listening to his offers, he decided to move on ahead.

Starscream: "Yes, yes… I get the message. Your team and your base will not be attacked and will be under constant watch. I believe it is a good deal. Now let's get this over with."

Optimus nodded and decided to begin the trade, still, he hadn't heard word that John and Elsa were rescued yet and it worries him. If the trade if completed and the Cons head back to the flagship, then this mission was all for nothing. Thinking this through, he decided to stall him for a little bit longer.

Optimus Prime: "Wait!"

The commander looked to him and wondered what he wants this time feeling extremely aggravated.

Starscream: "Argh… What is it now?!"

Prime now got his attention and decided to tell him something.

Optimus Prime: "Perhaps you should check on the Iacon Relics before we begin the trade."

Now Scream was getting angry over this and demanded about that.

Starscream: "And why would I want to check on each of the relics? I know they are already there."

Knockout though wondered about it and managed to get an answer himself.

Knockout: "Maybe the team used the Forge to create these knock off of the relics, or have their doc build a bunch of fakes. You know that they would do everything in their power to keep their relics safe and would do anything to keep them off our servos."

Scream glared at him and was about to complain about it. But after hearing it, he decided to follow his advice. After all, this was all too easy with the Autobots surrendering the relics too soon.

Starscream: "All right… I'll play your game, Prime. But don't think that means that I would let my guard down, yet."

He then raised a servo and gesture to the group to stand by. Soon enough, every drone, heavy, and Insecticon on the ground, on top of buildings, and rides took aim with their weapons and stood by. The team stood their ground, as they don't want this to end in energon.

Miko/Kaosu: "Well, this is going very well."

Arcee turned to the Wrecker cadet and told her to not attack.

Arcee: "Just keep your guard up, Kaosu. We don't know what's bound to happen and would need a backup plan if things head south."

Starscream approached the open trailer truck and looked to each of the relics that are on the bed. The first one he saw was the Forge as he explained about the one flaw.

Starscream: "As I recall, the Forge of Solus Prime has the power to wield any Cybertronian device with any ordinary materials. But it cannot be used by anyone else, other then a Prime. So if you would, Optimus, show me if this Forge works."

Optimus turned to him while Starscream looked back to him for a demonstration. He gave a sigh and knew this was going to be a long mission. He soon approached the bed to show him that the Forge was the real deal, while hoping that the Darby's rescue John and Elsa.

* * *

All the way up at the Nemesis, John and Elsa remained in their cell, suspended in the air with the stasis cuffs and electric chains on them. The place was extremely quiet as John was still contemplating what has happened. After watching footage of his family being turned into Cybertronians, he was still debating if it was all real or not. So much so that he couldn't even say a word to Elsa. That got her worry as she didn't know what to do. Sure, she saw the footage as well. Sure, she was contemplating if what she saw was real. But she should try to help John through this tough time. So she took a deep breath and decided to roll with it.

Elsa de Sica: "John? Are you all right? Can you speak to me? I want to be sure if you can hear me."

John remained mute and still can't wrap his head around what he saw. Elsa could tell that he was going into the denial phase and spoke to him again.

Elsa de Sica: "Please, John… Speak to me!"

Still nothing as he was starring at nothingness with his blank eyes. She sighed and decided to let it all out.

Elsa de Sica: "Look, I know what you saw as baffling. I know that we can't judge that the footage was real, or if the Decepticons made it all up. What I do know is that we cannot give up hope yet. Your family is still out there and once we escape, we will find them. And we can do it with or without the Autobot's help. We'll find them. I promise…"

There was more quiet in the room until John finally spoke up and asked his girl a question.

John Darby: "Tell me something, Elsa. If you think that we will find them, what are the chances that we might see them like what we saw on that footage?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, relieved that he is finally talking, but worried that he might be in denial.

Elsa de Sica: "I'm certain that what happened on the screen isn't true. You said it yourself, the Decepticons must've created that video to catch us off guard. There's no way that your family have turned into Cybertronians. It has to be a complete rouge."

The Darby was quiet for a little bit until he questions himself.

John Darby: "But what if it is true? What if my wife and son had been taken by this unknown group? What if they were experimented on? What if they were turned into Cybertronains and we never knew of any of it until now? I don't know, but looking at that makes me question if I would believe in these Cons or not."

Elsa heard that and tried to snap him out of it.

Elsa de Sica: "Come on, John. You can't honestly think of believing what that Decepticon said to you. He could be bluffing and it is just nothing to worry about. You got to stop beating yourself up over the whole thing. Look on the positives and-"

That was when John turned to her and snapped almost immediately.

John Darby: "I've been worried sick of my family for a while and headed to the states to find them. Yet after all that I did, this is the answer I got?! Seeing them go through that torture only to be human no more?! What makes you think that if what they show me is true or not? Huh? What makes you think that I would believe in what they say to me?! All I wanted to do is to see my family and make sure that they are safe. Yet what I got out of all of this is a real life nightmare!"

Elsa was silent and shocked at the fact that John would yell at her like that. She never seen him behave in that manner before and never imagined his reaction. John immediately saw the look of her face and turned away, apologizing.

John Darby: "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to say that. I'm a little overwhelmed and didn't have to snap on you like I did. Guess you are mad at me over that."

Elsa blinked and shook her head, deciding to calm the blow.

Elsa de Sica: "No! It wasn't your fault. You just got overwhelmed of what you witness and didn't mean to behave like that. Guess it sometimes natural that you can be over emotional over such things as family. Now look, I don't know much about it, but I understand that you care for Jack and June and would do anything to protect them. And right now, we need to stick together if we are to get out of here and find them. So please, calm down."

John took a breather and was beginning to calm himself.

John Darby: "You're right. I can't get too worked up over this. My main goal is to find my family and make sure that they're safe. But now our main focus is to make an escape. Too bad that were pretty much suspended in the air. There's got to be some way to disabling the cuffs."

The two gave it some thought and wondered what to do. What they didn't know is that help is already on its way, but not what they would be expecting.

* * *

Not far from them, Rodimus and Altra have managed to get by without getting detected so far. After a bit of hiding and sneak attacking Cons to hide them, they reached a different hallway that has cybertronian like cell doors, similar to the ones at Darkmount June encountered. Seeing this, she told her son where they are.

June/Altra: "Looks like we're at the brig."

The Prime in training turned to her and wondered about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You sure this is the right place?"

June nodded and told him about it.

June/Altra: "I had seen cell doors similar to when I was with the team at the underground prison at Darkmount. I know this is the place."

Jack looked to the cells and decided to start searching.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Well, we better start looking. And we better do it fast. Optimus and the others can't hold Starscream's ego for too long."

So the two searched the area to find John and Elsa. One by one, they opened the cells, and one by one, they didn't find the two. It was getting to the point that they have to find a needle in a haystack. Course when they were reaching a corner, Jack peeked at something and got back, pulling his mother with him as well. Getting to the corner, he saw two Vehicons guarding one of the cell doors and started to make a deduction.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Something tells me those guards aren't there to look tough. It looks like dad and Elsa are in that cell."

June heard him and looked to see the cell with the two guards. She also noticed that the hall was long between them and the cell and looked to her son on the problem.

June/Altra: "Sure looks that way. But there's a long path to there and there's no way in getting around it. They see us, we might get caught and warn Starscream. What are we to do?"

Jack looked around and wondered how to approach this one. Looking up, he could see a vent overhead and thought of something.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I got an idea. You think you can fit in that vent?"

He pointed up to the vent, as his mother looked at it. Seeing this, she looked to him and was a little offended by it.

June/Altra: "Are you implying that I'm fat?"

Jack realized what he said and tries to soften the blow.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "No, no! That's not what I was trying to say. What I meant was that I need you to go through that vent and head to where the guards are. Once you get there, signal me and I'll come rushing in. They'll be too distracted to see me when you get the jump on them."

Altra heard this and was hesitant on the idea.

June/Altra: "So you are saying that you want to be the bait while I surprise them from above. That sounds like you are risking your life over this."

Jack shrugged it off and told her that it's what's best.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "What can I say. It's my dad and a friend's life on the line. Come on. I'll lift you up."

He got down on one knee and got his servos together to get her up. Altra looked to her son and wasn't sure if this was going to be a good idea. But he was determined in rescuing his dad and Elsa, so she decided to roll with it. Approaching him, she placed her pede on his servos and he lifted her up and she opened the vent. Climbing up, she went into the vent and crawled her way through it with a bit of disgust.

June/Altra: "Argh… The things I do for my husband…"

She kept on crawling through the vent to get the cell the guards were located. Meanwhile, Jack was waiting for his mother to get there. Peeking to the side, he could see that they are on constant watch and he knew that this plan won't be easy. After all, he needed June to contact him and he'll pull his plan. As he was waiting, June kept on crawling through the vent and reached the end. She could see the grating and saw the two guards present. Knowing this, she pressed the comm. on her earpiece as a signal to let her son know that she's here. Jack could hear the beep on his comm. system and knew that she reached where she needed to go. Knowing this, he transformed into his alt mode and revved up his engines. Meanwhile, the two guards were on constant watch and waited to see if the trade is working so they can finish them off as per ordered. But then, they could hear what sounded like an engine starting and tires revving.

"Hey! You hear that?"

The other guard heard it and didn't like it.

"I do. And I do not like it."

The two looked ahead to see what it was. That's when a black Hummer H2 drifted and sped to them. Seeing this, they immediately reacted and armed their blasters.

"We have an intruder! It's one of those Autobots! Contact Starscream! Let him know that the Autobots are going to free the prisoners!"

The other guard nodded and tried to contact the commander. But as he was going to contact him, the vent behind him opened up and a shadow came out of it and down to the metal floor. By the time he turned on his comm. piece in his audio receptor, a femme like servo was on his shoulder and it cause him to turn around. That's when he saw Altra's face with a look of anger.

June/Altra: "Sorry, but I'm afraid we have visitation hours with my husband. Here, let me show you my pass!"

She soon tightened her fist and gives the Con a hard punch of the faceplate. The guard staggers back and was caught by surprise by that move. The other Vehicon turned to see his comrade in a scuffle with the nurse and was shocked by it.

"Another one? It is an ambush!"

He turned his blaster to her and looked for an opening to fire. However, he nearly forgot about Jack and turned to see him driving at ramming speed. He tried to fire and shot the grill, but was speared by the front end and sent him flying to the cell door. He was impacted by the door and was completely dazed by the first strike. Trying to shake the cobwebs out of his processor, he looked to see the Hummer approaching him and transformed right up his face. Rodimus immediately punched him in the face a couple of times before the Con struck back and head butted the Prime in training, causing him to stagger back a bit. The Vehicon charged in and was about to deliver a knockout punch. But Rodimus recovered quickly and sidestepped out of the way, grabbing him by the arm and did the arm drag to bring him down. He soon pinned him and immediately gave him a swift punch to the side of the face, knocking the Con out completely.

June then went to the defensive and raised both arms to protect herself from the swings and looked for an opening. The Vehicon just kept on swinging and trying to bring this femme down as much as he could. Too bad the nurse didn't have much of combat practice with the team, but she knew some basic combat and tried her best to battle. Almost immediately, the Con decided end this evenly match by back handing her to the side of the head. June backed away and was a little dazed for a quick second. He then gave her a takedown as she was speared and pinned on the floor. Altra looked to up see him on her and looking eager to finish her.

"Such a beautiful little femme. Too bad that you lack any fighting skills. Maybe if you be nice to me, I can teach you a few moves of my own. What do you say…?"

She could tell that he's hitting on her and didn't like any once of it. So she decided to decline of his offer.

June/Altra: "Thanks… But I have a husband! Buzz off!"

Quickly, she knee strike in between the legs and the Vehicon cringed from the pain. She soon got herself free from the pin and used her pede to push him away. Rolling backwards and got to one knee, she was looking on in disgust at what the Con said. So she shifted her servos into a pair of deliberators and rubbed them extra hard for some high intense electricity. The Con managed to recover from that and tried to intervene. But that was too late as he saw the nurse charging in and jumped to deliver double knees to his chest plate and knocked him down, pinning him in the process. With her pads fully charged, she smacked them between his helm and he screamed in pure agony while electricity coursed through the inside of his head. Before long, he was immediately passed out of the high electricity and was in deep stasis. As soon as he was out, June got up while her son approached her, dragging the other drone's body in the process, observing what just happened.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Wow mom. I know you lack technique in the fighting department, but that was a little extreme even for you."

Altra turned to Rodimus and was a little crossed by what she had experience.

June/Altra: "Well, that's what you get for trying to hit on a wife and loving mother."

She then showed her still electrical pad and was still sparking, before it reverted back into her servo. Rodimus rolled his optics around and decided to focus on the main task at hand.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "C'mon. Let's get to the cell and free dad and Elsa before the Cons notice something not right. Take that Con with you too. We better hide the these two in the cell and cover our tracks."

June looked to him and nodded, picking him up by the arm and dragging him as well. The two, soon enough, slowly approached the cell the prisoners are in. Starring at the door, they were hesitant in coming in the cell the first place. But looking to each other, they knew that they had to do it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Well mom… Are you ready?"

June gave a quick nod and decided to get it over with.

June/Altra: "As ready as I'll ever be…"

As the two took one step closer, while Jack hit the override button, letting the cell door slowly open.

* * *

A couple of minutes before hand, John and Elsa was trying to contemplate on how to make their escape. Yet with the stasis cuffs on them and the electric chains suspending them, there was no way in getting out of this predicament. But just before them could do anything, they could hear a loud bang coming from the door. They looked up and wondered what that was all about. They soon heard what sounds like a scuffle coming from the other side and were a little confused.

John Darby: "What was that?"

Elsa heard it with her highly advance ears and managed to put the pieces together.

Elsa de Sica: "Don't know… But it sounds like there is a fight coming from the other side. Maybe the Autobots found us and staging a rescue."

John heard that and realized that she does have a point.

John Darby: "Well, that seems like the only option we have. I mean, who else would be fighting the Cons? Unless there is in fighting with the group. We just going to have to wait and see."

The two waited to see what happens until they heard no sounds coming through the door. That's when they heard footsteps and it was getting closer.

Elsa de Sica: "Sounds like someone is coming."

John Darby: "I notice that. Question is, who is it? Are they Autobots or Decepticons?"

Elsa was silent and wondered about it as well.

Elsa de Sica: "Only one way to find out."

The two waited to see who would come out through the door. Just then, the door started to slide open as they could see two figures in the darkness that they haven't seen before. The two were dragging what looked like Cons, as they tossed them into the cell and they were knocked out before. The two humans look down to see the down Cons and knew that they could be Autobots. But who is the question? That's when the two step out of the shadows, John was shocked and saw the same Cybertronians he saw on the video recording Starscream showed him. One is a femme with white and red armor that's outfitted in an Emergency Vehicle and with red crosses on the sides with Autobot insignias and a split red and blue sirens on the shoulder. The other is a black and gray mech with body armor that looks like that of a Hummer H2. But the one thing that got his attention where the faces were similar to his wife and son. His eyes blinked and couldn't believe that he was reunited with his family, but not in the way he wanted.

John Darby: "Jack…? June…? Is that you…?"

Jack approached his father and Elsa and gave a bit of an awkward smile.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hey dad… It's been a while. We're going to get you out of here. Just stay still."

He backed up as he and his mom armed their blasters and took aim at the cuffs on them. The two prisoners took a deep breath and hope that they don't shoot them by accident. Charging their blasters, they fired the cuffs on their wrists and ankles and they were free. The two soon feel from the release and landed on the ground. Though Elsa landed gracefully on the floor, John landed and could feel his damaged knees collapsing temporarily and was a little sore from it. Once they were free, Jack contacted Ratchet and let him know that they got to the two.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Ratchet, we found my dad and Elsa and freed them from the prison cell."

Ratchet heard him and was relieved about it.

Ratchet: _"Good work. Now get back out the same way you came in and I'll bridge you. Cannot bridge you in the ship, otherwise we would have Cons noticing it. Make it quick, Optimus is stalling Starscream as long as he could, but he won't do it forever."_

Jack heard that and knew that getting them out of the ship won't be an easy feat. But they need to make sure that the Cons won't suspect a thing.

Jack/Rodimus: "Copy that Ratch. Stand by while we get our way back to the rendezvous point. Out."

He soon looked to the two and told them to get moving.

Jack Rodimus Prime: "C'mon you two. We better get you out of here before the Cons notice that you're gone."

The two turned to make sure the ghost is clear. Course, they heard John stop them and was completely confused.

John Darby: "Wait!"

The two turned to him as he had that deadpan look on his face.

John Darby: "So it is true… You two are now Cybertronians? I didn't believe it at first. Hell, I was questioning it so many times. But now that I see you two again, and like this, I don't know what to say."

Both Darby's look to each other and was confused about that. That's when Jack approached his father and asked about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad, what are you talking about?"

He looked to his son and explained what he witnessed.

John Darby: "Starscream… He showed me footage of you guys being turned into Cybertronians by some mysterious organization. At first, I thought that it was all a trick, like some form of manipulation. But now… Now, I'm starting to believe him."

Rodimus and Altra heard this and were completely shocked by what he said. Somehow, the Cons discovered what happened to them and showed John everything. Now he has questions that demand to be answered and doesn't look too happy about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Scrap… The Decepticons know of what happened to us. This is not good."

John approached his son and demanded answers.

John Darby: "Jack… June… What happened to the two of you?"

Jack turned away and could tell that it would be difficult to explain to them. But they still have a mission to accomplish and they need to make an escape before the Cons suspect a thing. He looked to his father and told them that they can save it for another time.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It's a really complicated story, dad. But now isn't the time in explaining. Right now, we need to get you two out of the Nemesis and back to base. Now come on, hop in."

Soon enough, he and his mother transformed into both a Hummer H2 and a Volvo S60 Sedan in an emergency vehicle look complete with sirens on the top and medical decals with Autobot insignias on the sides. Soon enough, the two open the doors to let them in. John looks to this and was shocked by it all.

John Darby: "Holy shit… They can actually transform!?"

Elsa though decided to listen to them and headed to Jack.

Elsa de Sica: "Sir, I think it's best that we should get going. We'll worry about what happened later."

She soon jumped into Jack and took the passenger seat, as he closed the door. John soon turned to the emergency vehicle that was waiting for them. And giving that this is his wife, he sighed and decided to listen to his girl.

John Darby: "This is going to be a long and very awkward drive."

He soon walked to June and entered her car. The moment he took the passenger side and June closed the door, Jack starts to say Optimus's own words.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Let's roll out!"

The two soon revved their engines and let their tires spinning. They immediately drift turn to the open door and drove out of it. By the time the door close, the cell was empty and the two guards were still knocked out. Just then, one of the guards regained consciousness and remembered about what happened to the two. Weakly placing his digit on his comm. he warned the ship of the situation.

"All units… We have two Autobots in the Nemesis. They got the prisoners and are making an escape. Stop them!"

* * *

 **That ends chapter twelve and oh boy, that was short. I know that this wasn't long and not as action oriented, but I needed to warm things up before the next chapter. And trust me, what I got in store for the next chapter will be glorious. Maybe two chapters, depending on how much I will put in it. But hey, I'll do what I can to get this out of the way. Just stay tune and you'll see what I got in store. Please Review and Happy 4th of July! #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	13. A Few Snags

**So, I got the chance in seeing Trasformers: The Last Knight and… Well… I'm a bit conflicted on this one. See, the transformers movies as a whole are strange films. When the first movie came out ten years ago, I thought that it would have some potential. Despite the transformative designs, the huge military presence, and the dumb love angle between Sheila Buss and Megan Fox, I do believe that it would've learn from their mistakes and improve from the original. But unfortunately, since this is a Michael Bay film we're talking about, they pretty much copy and pasted the same plot points of the next two movies with a different relic hunt and just call it a day. When the third movie was over, I thought that it would be a trilogy and this whole Transformers nonsense would end. And then Age of Extinction arrived, and I immediately was pissed off about it. Granted, they made some improvements in that movies, like no Sheila Buff, Mark Walburg is great, and the Transformers get more airtime then the military. But a few good outweigh a lot of bad, as Age of Extinction is what I would call the humans vs. Autobots. Seriously, when I saw the human military becoming the main enemy of the Autobots and killing them off like Ratchet, which did piss off a lot of Ratchet fans, I scratched my head and asked myself, _'Did something happen in between the previous film and this one that had the two that were protecting humankind turn on each other?'_ I swear, this movie has one too many plot holes to simply make Swiss Cheese out of it. Not to mention there were other things that were shoe horned in such as the Apple like bots they created from murdered Autobots with the Steve Jobs presentation and the boyfriend that did jack shit in the movie. But on my review I did on Youtube a few years back, I stated that Age of Extinction shouldn't exist in the first place. Yet it exists because they make more money, along with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. So when the trailer came out for Last Knight, I had low expectations to seeing this for a few reasons. Keep in mind that I will be talking about a few spoilers in the next few paragraphs. So if you didn't see this movie, feel free to skip the bold fonts and move on to the chapter.**

 **Okay… To say that I was conflicted doesn't explain much, so I'll try to make it brief. When the first trailers arrive, I could tell that it would involve Optimus Prime turning bad and attacking Bumblebee. I sort of didn't care of Cybertron arriving to Earth of the nonsense that was there. After all, it's bad enough the human military are the bad guys in the previous movie, it's worse to make Prime into one as well. But when I watched this movie, I feel like there's more to this story. Turns out this Cybertronian, who is the Prime of Life or something like that, needs to rebuild Cybertron and heads to Earth to gather the geothermal energies to bring Cybertron back to life. But she needs a Cybertronian staff to jump start the planet and manipulates Prime to get it so she can activate it. That does explain the why Prime is evil part and it did fit the role. Yet after understanding the plot, I had to go through two and a half hours of expedition dumps, a cheesy romance, and some comedic annoyance just to see how it all ends.**

 **I did however like a few certain parts of the movie. The Transformers in Midlevel Times is really visual representation along with the transformers being part of every known historical moment, so it would help me with future chapters or stories. The callbacks to previous movies were interesting. The way they bring Prime back was fortunate and I didn't have to go through with him being evil the whole way through. The Optimus Bumblebee fight scene was what a Transformers Movie should be. I really enjoy the Minicon butler that steals the show. The design of Hot Rod will be perfect with the future episode I'm planning on doing. The plot twist of Earth being Unicron is a good homage to the final episodes of the first season of TFP. And the final fight scene was simply the best out there. Yet what I said before wasted potential with an overlong timeframe in the movie. You could just simply remove certain parts and you wouldn't have to trudge through this nearly three-hour flick. And don't get me started with the Decepticons. They made their introduction and are potentially wasted minutes after.**

 **All and all, they said that this was supposed to be the final chapter of the Transformers movie franchise. Yet after seeing that tease as the start of the credits, I feel like there will be more films coming in the near future. Hell, they're thinking of making a Bumblebee movie soon so there's no telling what plans they have for him. Still, I enjoy it, even if I had to be waiting for it to end. If you want to see this movie too, that's fine by me. You just have to wait for DVD releases to start, but I suggest renting then buying them. I should know that if these were Transformers films, renting them would be the best option.**

 **The last chapter was pretty good. I got myself ten solid reviews and over 700 hits in total. I was amazed by this and pleased that everyone is enjoying this story. Here's to getting more of these in future chapters and episodes.**

 **On this chapter of episode 4, season 3 of TFP, Rodimus and Altra make an escape with John and Elsa while Optimus keeps Starscream busy with the trade. Course, that will all come crashing down when Starscream finds out about what is really happening. Will they able to get out of this one? Read to see what is bound to happen.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime and Gunslinger Girls.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: A Few Snags

Back down on the ground, at the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans site, Optimus was showing Starscream the Forge Hammer that was within the many relics on the trailer truck. All he needed to do is to stall him long enough until Rodimus and Altra can get John and Elsa out of there. Still, it all depends on how long until Scream start to notice that something wasn't right. Approaching the Forge Hammer, he grabs hold of it and it started to activate itself, knowing that he was a Prime. The gears started to spin as he lifted the hammer up, proving that it was the real thing. Scream looked on and was impressed, so far.

Starscream: "Good… It would seem that you kept your word and that Forge you're holding is not a fake you created."

Optimus turned to him and was pleased that he was able to show him that it was a real thing. Yet he needs to keep him busy long enough before he starts to notice something is amiss.

Optimus Prime: "I'm glad that I've proved you wrong, Starscream."

Still, the commander isn't the fool and needs to check on the rest of the relics.

Starscream: "But that doesn't mean that the others would be a bunch of fakes. Let's see if what you bring here are the real deal."

He soon walked past him and approach the first relic, which was the Polarity Gauntlet. When he reached it, he heard Ratchet on his comm. link and delivers the good news. Thank goodness that Ratchet and Wheeljack managed to install the scramblers in their comms to block off the Cons eavesdropping, otherwise the mission would've been complicated.

Ratchet: _"Optimus, Rodimus and Altra have freed John and Elsa. They are already making their way out of the ship so we can bridge them all safely."_

Optimus heard him and smiled with relief that the first part of the plan went well without a hitch. So he whispered to the medic without Starscream hearing it.

Optimus Prime: "Keep me posted. I'm stalling Starscream as much as he could. I just hope that he would take his time with the relics."

He soon looked to the commander putting the gauntlet into his hand and tests it out to see if it works. Once he placed it into his hand, the holographic controls appeared and took aim at a discarded trashcan that was left behind. Firing at it, the can was engulfed in the orangey hue and it slowly lifted off the ground and in the air. He was pleased with it and decided to try it on another metal object, or a certain Autobot. He took aim at Kaosu and fired on her. That's when she was caught by surprise and was lifted in the air and was struggling to escape.

Miko/Kaosu: "Hey! Let me go!"

Starscream gave a chuckle and felt pleased with the test of the first relic.

Starscream: "What's the matter? Afraid of heights? And I thought you want to go at it at me."

Optimus watched on and could tell that Starscream is having a field day with the first relic.

Optimus Prime: "I just hope that it won't be the termination of us…"

* * *

Back on the inside of the Nemesis, Rodimus and Altra were driving down the hall in their vehicle forms to get back to where they came in and bridge to safety. Thankfully, they didn't see any Cons yet, but it would be a matter of time before trouble comes towards them. Inside June's vehicle mode, John was sitting on the passenger side and was eerily quiet and he was trying to process what has just happened. It is one thing that he was in prison and interrogated by Starscream. But it's another seeing his wife and son in what Starscream showed him. That they are now Cybertronian and Autobots completely. He was conflicted by it and didn't know how to respond about it. June could see this on her dashboard mirror and decided to break the silent.

June/Altra: "John… Honey… Are you okay?"

Still, he didn't respond as he sighed about it all.

June/Altra: "Look, I get why you are acting like this and I can tell that you are extremely upset about what has happened. But I didn't know what to say to you after what your son and I have been through. You might be mad, but deep down; I know that you still love the two of us as before. So please, if you want to say something, now would be a good time to speak."

John still couldn't muster the courage to speak up, as he was still in the mental shock from the reveal. June could tell that he needed the space and decided to let him be on his own on it. But after a few minutes after she spoke, she could hear his husband's voice ask a simple question.

John Darby: "How long…?"

June heard this and didn't quite hear him.

June/Altra: "Huh…? You said something, John?"

He soon peered his eyes to the dashboard mirror, giving that she's looking at him with that, and asked again.

John Darby: "How long since you and Jack have become Cybertronians?"

The nurse heard this and could tell that he wants to know about that. Sighing through the speakers, she gave him a straight enough answer.

June/Altra: "Over a month since we changed. That was after Jasper was invaded by the Cons and the Autobots had to be in radio silent for a little while."

John was quiet again and was processing that answer.

John Darby: "Over a month… Over a month? You mean to tell me that you two were like this for over a month? Where you never called me after the invasion to tell me that the two of you are all right. Or let me know of what really happened? I was worried sick of you two! I thought that you were missing, or killed! Yet when Jose showed me that your names were not in the obituaries, I started to question what really happened to you. And now that I see what really happened, I… I … Well, I don't know what to say!"

Altra heard him and felt sorry for what he's experiencing. To see him this angry, she understood what he's going through. She was silent for a few seconds until she spoke up.

June/Altra: "John… I get that you are upset, but please understand that I didn't know what to do. I was planning to call you when things were settled in. But when we were turned into Cybertronians, I didn't know what to say or how you are going to react to it. I really wanted to tell you, but there's no telling what you would do. Course, I could see that you took the risk in coming back and finding us. I just wish you didn't see us in this condition. I'm sorry for making you worry about us and I should've at least spoken to you about it sooner. Sadly, this has already passed and I cannot avoid it all. I hope you can forgive me."

John heard her and could tell that there was a lot of emotion with June. All the frustration she had to go through. All the weeks she didn't get around calling him, has all accumulated to this. And to that, he understood why she didn't call him. This of course led to another question that has been bothering him as well. That of course is the huge elephant in the room, the two becoming Cybertronian. That's when he asked her about it.

John Darby: "Tell me, how did it happen?"

June heard him and wondered what he meant.

June/Altra: "What do you mean?"

John was quiet and explained what he saw.

John Darby: "Starscream showed me just the video evidence of what happened to the two of you and Raf and Miko. But he had never given me the details of how it happened. If you tell me your side of the story, then maybe that will clear things up."

Altra was silent about it, as she didn't want to relive what she had to go through.

June/Altra: "I don't want to speak about it. The thought of what happened to me and Jack, is something I don't want to relive."

John heard this and could tell that she didn't want to talk about it. But he can't have half the answers he wanted and decided to keep going.

John Darby: "Look, I know you must've been through a lot since then. But I can't be in the dark for this long. If you don't wish to speak to me of this, I won't hold it against you. However, if you want to speak to me, you can let me know of it."

The nurse heard him and wondered what to do. She cannot speak to him of what really happened because it is something she want to forget. But this is her husband that's talking and wishes to know how she and Jack were turned into Cybertronians. So with a breather through the ventilation system, she decided to let him in on it.

June/Altra: "All right, I'll let you explained what happened. But I got to warn you, it is very… uncomfortable…"

John smirked and told her that he was use to it.

John Darby: "Hey… I work for an agency that turned young girls into cybernetic soldiers. I can deal with what your story is going to be about."

June chuckled about it and decided to start at the very beginning.

* * *

Meanwhile, in front of Altra, Rodimus was driving ahead in his Hummer H2 vehicle mode, driving to the exit. Inside, Elsa looked to the screen that she believes Jack was communicating and was a little curious about it. That's when she started asking questions.

Elsa de Sica: "So… You're a Cybertronian now."

Jack heard this and was surprised that she asked straight away. Regaining his composure, he answered truthfully.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Yeah… Pretty much…"

Elsa was quiet and was still processing it.

Elsa de Sica: "And you are okay with this."

He remained quiet and was surprised that she was very calm.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Kind of… It's a little difficult at first, but I got use to it. Still, I'm quite amazed that you are taking it all too well."

Elsa raised an eyebrow and wondered what he meant.

Elsa de Sica: "Whatever do you mean?"

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Well, normally, you would've been upset like dad and would of at least freak out over the whole thing.

Elsa just snickered and reminded him of what she is.

Elsa de Sica: "Have you forgotten? I am a cybernetic soldier in a body of a young girl, who works for an agency that involves protecting Italy from the Republican Faction. Your life as much as mine is far from normal."

He was very quiet about it and knew that she was right. Trying to focus on getting out, he cleared his audio speakers and was in agreement.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Fair point. Still, at least you understand that we never meant to keep this a secret. We weren't meant for any of that to happen at all. But we kept it for so long that we didn't know how to explain it to you or dad. It wasn't like we had a choice in the matter."

Elsa sighed and decided to let him know about it.

Elsa de Sica: "It's not the same as when you kept the secret of the Autobots from John and I. But I did understand the reason why you did that. You were afraid that you didn't want your dad to know of what really happened and didn't want him to see you the way you are. But you know your dad, he always worry about you and would do anything to find you. He always that obsessive. Still, after seeing what you and your mother had become, that led to a lot of questions glowing in John's mind, as much as mine. So care to explain to me what happened to the two of you?"

Jack remained quiet and didn't know how to respond.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Sorry, Elsa. It is really complicated and I didn't want to get involved by it."

Elsa though doesn't want to be in the dark and reminded him of what his father did.

Elsa de Sica: "Hey. Your father spoke to you and the Autobots about he SWA when the reveal happened. He didn't go around it and was straight forward of it. I do believe it's best that you do the same as well and not avoid it."

The Prime in training gave it some deep thought wondered if she was ready for what really happened to him, his friends, and his mom. Knowing that there's no way out of it, he decided to explain to her how it started.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Okay… I'll tell you. Though I got to warn ya, it was going to get dark."

Elsa shrugged it off and was ready for it.

Elsa de Sica: "I'm prepared for this.

So the two Autobots explain their story of how they became Cybertronian, both of which stating their own personal opinion on their passengers.

* * *

With June, she started the story with John listening.

June/Altra: "It all started after Jasper was invaded and the Autobots were found and regrouped. Things have been pretty grave already when the existence of the Autobot/Decepticon war was made public after the attack and when we believed that Optimus perished when he stayed behind and prevented the Cons from finding where they were hidden. When we regrouped into the new base under Lake Eerie, the higher ups Fowler knew figured out that the team brought in young teenagers and a mother and had to take us into protective custody. The kids were upset about it, since they've been with the Autobots for months and they have a common bond. But we understand the situation and had to follow those orders. When we left the base, I was hoping that when things were settled in, I would call you to let you know that we were safe. That was of course things took a turn for the worse for Jack and I."

John heard the start and understood that she was going to call him when things would settle. Still, there was one question that is bothering him.

John Darby: "So what happened?"

* * *

Back with Jack, he was continuing the story that June left off.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "When we were taken by the military escort, there was an ambush that was planned by MECH."

Elsa looked to him and was curious about that.

Elsa de Sica: "MECH? Who are they?"

Jack was silent before continuing.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It's an underground terrorist organization that wants world domination through advance weaponry. It's sort of like the Republican Faction you faced in Italy, only more sinister. Anyways, they brought in a truck and a bunch of cars to box us in and tried to take the military out. They managed to escape and tried to make a run for it, but the MECH soldiers got the upper hand on them. In the end, that MECH semi rammed the convoy we were in and we lost control, nearly getting ourselves killed in the process. Didn't remember much after that, as we were pretty much unconscious at the time. But when I came too, the only thing I saw was us in a huge room, trapped in these glass tubes connected to a machine of some kind. And starring at us was the ring leader of the operation, the Director.

* * *

Back to June…

John Darby: "The Director? Who's he."

June looked to him with the dashboard mirror and explained about him.

June/Altra: "He's a scientist that's in charge of MECH's science division. Like Silas, his goal was to create the perfect robotic soldier, but unlike him, he wants to take some extreme measures just to get what he wants. He had us trapped in that machine and revealed to the us his so called experiment, Project Metamorphosis."

John heard that and was a little unimpressed by the name.

John Darby: "Project Metamorphosis, huh? That's the most weak name I ever heard of."

The nurse chuckled on that and was in agreement with him before getting serious again.

June/Altra: "Well, it was a strange name this guy came up with. But the name itself definitely fits with the project entirely."

* * *

Back to Jack…

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Project Metamorphosis was created to turn normal human beings into Cybertronian soldiers. And we, along with Raf and Miko, were meant to be the first test subjects, given that we were friends of the Autobots."

Elsa heard that and finds it to be impossible.

Elsa de Sica: "That doesn't make any sense! You can't turn humans into Cybertronians! The science behind it is completely baffling!"

Jack though disagree and continued explaining the project

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "That's what I thought at first, but the Director had an idea on how to make it a reality. See, the reason why it's called Project: Metamorphosis is that it resembles the stages of a butterfly. From the larva to the cocoon and finally the finished product. The Director's idea for the cocoon stage is to use energon, the life blood of Cybertron. He believes that the energon on a molecular level would be the building blocks of creating his robot army. But giving that the energon was bland; he needed an alternative source to mix with it. And he thought humans would do since our bodies mostly contain water and other saline fluids."

* * *

To June…

June/Altra: "So we were used as the test subjects of the project and were in the cocoon stage. That machine we were in had that tanker of energon that filled our tubes with that liquid. When the project started, we were electrocuted with the energon that we were swimming in. After that, we were pretty much melted into the energon and… Let's just say that it was an uncomfortable experience. Pretty much remembered nothing after that, giving that I passed out completely."

John heard her and felt really sorry for her.

John Darby: "It's okay, June. Starscream showed me what happened and… it was sickening from start to finish. I can't believe that you had to go through all of that."

June was very silent from that and explained that it was unavoidable.

June/Altra: "It's all right. I never thought that we would survive it, let alone become a completely different species. Hell, when we awoken, I was in a state of shock after that experience."

* * *

To Jack…

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "When we woke up, all of us were confused and freaked out over the whole thing. Well, all except Miko since she was excited to be a Cybertronian. But the worst part of all of this is that it was irreversible. We were pretty much stuck in this state for life."

Elsa listened to this and felt really sorry for him.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh Jack, I can't believe that you have to go through so much."

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I get use to it. I mean, I didn't want it as much as the others did, but we didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Because of that, the Autobots decided to train us to be part of the team. From blaster practice to combat training, and transforming. Hell, there is the time we have to save our friends from MECH's newest creation, the MECHicons."

Elsa raised an eyebrow and was confused by that name.

Elsa de Sica: "MECHicons? Sound like a dumb name."

Jack chuckled and explained about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Miko was the one that gave them the name. But it seems fitting since they were MECH and look like Decepticons. And I believe the best part of this change though is that we live a longer lifespan then when we were human."

* * *

June…

John was shocked when he heard that Cybertronians have a life span far longer then humans.

John Darby: "Get out! You're telling me that you are going to outlive me and Elsa?!"

June/Altra: "Uh-huh… That's pretty much it. Cybertronians have a lifespan of millions of years. It was a little weird at first. But at least I get to live a heck of a lot longer then when I was human. Might be a sour note for anyone that I know that will die before me, but at least I have them in my memory banks."

John heard that and was shocked by the news, even for him. Looking into the review mirror, he could see that he had a few gray streaks on the side of the head and knew that he was aging. June could see him through the review mirror and couldn't help but to snicker.

June/Altra: "The gray looks nice on you, makes you look distinguish."

John heard that and was completely shocked by it.

John Darby: "Wait a sec, did you see me? How did you do that?"

Altra mentally shrugged it and explained about her vehicle mode.

June/Altra: "That's the beauty in being in alt mode. I can see through multiple directions, whether it be my headlights or my mirrors."

John looked on and was amazed that she could do it.

John Darby: "Wow… That's some serious stuff."

June/Altra: "Eh… I get use to it."

John Darby: "So I take you take part on some missions with the team too, huh?"

The nurse though was quiet and decided to explain about it.

June/Altra: "Not so much. I'm not much of a fighter as the rest of the team, but I do help out in the base. Since I'm a nurse, Ratchet has been teaching me mostly of Cybertronian medicine."

John laughed it off a little bit and knew that she likes to be in her comfort zone.

John Darby: "You always have a thing with medical stuff."

June/Altra: "You have no idea… Though recently, Arcee's been teaching me some combat tactics just in case I have to be out in the field. I just hope I don't go down that path."

* * *

Jack…

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "At least my mom stays in the base to help out with Ratchet. Me, I was the one that needed to go to missions, no matter what. I was a little determined to help out with the team with whatever I can do."

Elsa heard that and reminded herself of someone else.

Elsa de Sica: "So you go on missions whenever you are needed. Certainly reminds me of myself back at the agency. Do you think that it could be dangerous for you, giving that you are starting?"

Jack shrugged it off and told her that it was nothing.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It's nothing I can handle. The first actual mission I have is to get the Autobots out of the Morrison Dam when MECH took them. Was a difficult fight, especially with that crazy MECHicon in Blackout. But we were able to escape in one piece. But the mission to rescue Optimus from Darkmount, boy that was a dozy."

Elsa heard this and wanted to know more.

Elsa de Sica: "Really? What happened?"

Jack was silent, but continued on anyways.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It was when we discovered that Optimus was alive and held captive by the Cons in their little fortress they placed in Jasper. Firewall, Kaosu, and I volunteer to get into the Con's base to help bridge the team into enemy territory."

Elsa raised an eyebrow and was confused about those names.

Elsa de Sica: "Kaosu and Firewall?"

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Miko's and Raf's Autobot code names. Miko's idea. It helps conceal our identities and all that."

Elsa looked coy and curious about his name.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh really? And what is your code name?"

Jack was silent for a few seconds before blurting it out.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Rodimus."

Elsa snickered and thought that was stupid.

Elsa de Sica: "That's a dumb name…"

Rodimus heard that and retorted back.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It was fitting for me and it was at the last minute! Anyways, we venture through the war torn remains of Jasper and survived through just about everything the Cons threw at us. We managed to escape all that and reached Darkmount to let the rest of the team bridge through and rescue Optimus. Course, when we were trying to escape, things took a turn of the worse and encountered a Predacon called Predaking."

Elsa looked on in confusion and wondered about that.

Elsa de Sica: "Predacon?"

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It's a cybertronian equivalent of a mythical dragon, and a very ruthless one at that. We tried our best to hold it off and defeat it, but everything we pulled didn't work. At first the team was going to be destroyed. But thankfully I was able to destroy it and we managed to make an escape."

Elsa listened to their story and was completely surprised by that.

Elsa de Sica: "You took on a Predacon by yourself?! Wow! That's a lot of guts coming from you."

Jack was awfully quite about that until he decided to let her in on the rest of the story.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Well, let's just say that I did something that my dad might be upset about. You see…"

* * *

John Darby: "Jack is a WHAT?!"

June had to mute her audio receptors after hearing that response.

June/Altra: "Sheesh, John. I didn't think that you would react like that."

John Darby: "How should I react to the fact that my son, my only child is now a Prime. How in the hell did that happened?"

June was silent for a moment until she explained about it.

June/Altra: "It's complicated to explain. See, Jack had this Key of Vector Sigma and it contained what remains of the wisdom of the Primes. He sort of placed it into his spark chamber and just like that, he had become an official Prime. He never said how he did it, he just did what he can do to protect everyone he knew."

John listened to her explanation and still wasn't sure of this.

John Darby: "And you think that he can protect the world against the Cons, giving that he's too young? It's bad enough that I didn't want him to follow in my footsteps, it's just worse that he's following Optimus's. Next you're going to tell me that Arcee is his girlfriend."

The nurse was silent on that and decided to explain about that.

June/Altra: "Uh… Yeah… Funny story actually."

* * *

Elsa de Sica: "You an Arcee are an item?!"

Jack heard her shocked question and decided to sway a bit over that.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "More or less… We just started dating after rescuing Optimus from Darkmount and we're getting use to each other's company. There have been a few hiccups since, but we kept on being together. It's kind of weird that once I was human, the idea of dating a Cybertronian is in the air. But now that we're the same species, I suppose that we are quite the lovers."

Elsa chuckled and thought it was funny.

Elsa de Sica: "That's a lot, coming from a teen that's dating a who knows how old female robot."

Jack snickered at that thought too and was in agreement.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Yeah, it is weird, but at least she has someone to be close to."

* * *

John was processing all that his wife said to him, from how they became Cybertronian, to his son being a Prime, and he and Arcee being a couple starting out. Still, he wants to know why she didn't call him after all of that.

John Darby: "I just can't believe that you and Jack had to go through all that. And yet, after all that you've all been through, you never had the chance in calling me?"

June was silent and didn't know how to react.

June/Altra: "I just don't know how to explain it. Part of me thinks that you won't believe me. The other part thinks that you are going to be mad at me. I guess the second one is what happens. I suppose you deserve an apology for keeping this secret from you. So let me be the first to say that I'm sorry for what I did."

John heard this and decided to let it all out.

John Darby: "June, I'm not mad at you. Well a part of me is, but not all of it. I get it that you were afraid of my reaction and how I will respond. I mean I never thought the two of you would be going through something like that. Turning into Cybertronians and my son being a Prime is a lot to swallow. But I'm glad that you two are safe and are alive, but not what I was expecting. Regardless, there is no need of apologizing, as I can understand what you are all going through. Still, I will forgive you from keeping all of this from me."

June listened to his explanation and couldn't help but to mentally smile at the thought that he's all right with all of this.

* * *

Back to Jack, Elsa heard all of this and felt sorry for him.

Elsa de Sica: "I just cannot believe that you had to go through so much, just to be where you are today."

Jack was quite for a bit until he explained that he could get use to it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "It's nothing I can get use to. I mean the training Optimus is giving me helps with the missions and I do have a lot of weight on my shoulders. But I'm certain I can be as good of a Prime as him. But I feel sorry that you were worried about me."

Elsa smirked and told him that she had nothing to worry about.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh, I'm not worried about you. Deep down I knew that you and your mother managed to survive. Your father though… Let's just say he's a bit more frantic about you then any fratelo. You should've seen him getting all-nervous on what happened to the two of you. Making judgment calls, investigations, and the questioning. He never rests until he gets what he wants. But, he definitely didn't expect a level like this before. I can forgive you for what you and your mom had to go through, but no matter what happens, you are always the young boy I met the day I came to Jasper.

Jack laughed it up and decided on joking around.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "So… Guess you're going with me on future missions, right?"

Elsa glared at the navigation screen and retorted back.

Elsa de Sica: "We're having a moment. Don't ruin it."

Jack laughed it off and knew that she wasn't in the mood right now. During the drive, they were close to the lift that would take them up. The future Prime saw this and told his mother to keep pushing forward.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "There's the exit. Come on, let's get out of here and back to the base!"

The two went to maximum overdrive and were making their way to the exit. At first, they thought that they were going to make it. But then, the doors started to close and lock themselves out. Seeing this happening, both Rodimus and Altra applied the breaks and drifted to a completely stop. That caught John and Elsa by surprise as they nearly jolted forward from the sudden stop. Thankfully, they had their seatbelts on; otherwise they would've had their heads through the windshields. The moment they stopped, John wondered what happened.

John Darby: "What was that?"

Jack looked to the lock door and realized that they were in trouble.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Don't know… But I got a bad feeling that we've been spotted."

Just then, red lights started to blink and the alarm immediately sounded. Elsa looked to this and knew that he was right.

Elsa de Sica: "I'm going to go on a limb here and say that they figured things out."

The nurse heard the alarms blaring and was now worried about it.

June/Altra: "Now what do we do?"

The Prime in training started to think about it and came to the most obvious of decisions.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Looks like we have to take another way out of here. Best option is the main hanger the Airadicons use to leave. We should hurry! If the Cons found out that we're here, they will overwhelm us so fast."

The two bots immediately revved their engines and turned back around to drive away from the lift. As they were trying to find another way out, a camera was watching them leave as they were being observed.

* * *

In the main bridge, the Cons were watching the monitor to see the two vehicles of Jack and June driving down the hall to try and find another way out. The one in charge of the ship, a silver Airadicon, looked to this and knew that what happened was true.

"So the prison guard was right. We have Autobot intruders on the Nemesis and they have freed those two humans. Looks like they are making their way to the hanger. We can't let them escape!"

He turned to the rest of the Cons and gave them the orders.

"I want patrols posted from the maintenance lift to the hanger! Have all Tankicons, Insecticons, and Combaticons stations in the hanger to block their way out! We must prevent them from leaving!"

The Cons nodded and began making the preparations in posting every Con from where the two bots were to the hanger. The silver Con soon turned to the one in charge of the comms and told him to contact Starscream.

"Patch me in with the commander. He needs to know of the situation."

The Vehicon nodded as he linked with the Scream's comm. channel.

* * *

Back on the ground, Starscream was looking at the remaining relics to see if they are real, or just a bunch of knockoffs the Autobots made with the help of the Forge. So far, he knew the Polarity Gauntlet and the Immobalizer were real, much to the chagrin of one of Miko being frozen and unfrozen by the effects. Now, he's moving on to the Phase Shifter and clamps it on his arm. Activating it, he looked to the trailer and waved his servo through it. Seeing that his servo phased through it easily, he grinned and was pleased with the result.

Starscream: "Well now, it seems that this one is the real deal as well. I always wonder why one of you Autobots has a thing with such a beauty. Now I got the idea on why."

He peered to the group of Autobots and had his optics set to Smokescreen. The former Elite Guard member glared at him and was getting close to get his servos on him. Thankfully, Bumblebee and Arcee were able hold him back, but not before he threatened the commander.

Smokescreen: "Don't get too comfortable… Cause you know that I'll get it back."

Scream snickered and thought that was a little cute.

Starscream: "Sure… Go tell yourself that."

Optimus soon approached him and continues to stall.

Optimus Prime: "Well Starscream, I hope you are pleased that the relics are real."

The commander turned to the Autobot leader and was happy about it completely.

Starscream: "Indeed, I am. However, there is one relic I saved for last and I would like to see if it works."

He soon turned to the last relic on the trailer, that one is the Apex Armor.

Starscream: "Oh, how much I missed you…"

Bee looked to this and turned to Smokescreen with a bit of awkwardness.

Bumblebee: _**(Wow… And I thought you had an obsession with the Shifter.)**_

Screen peered his eyes to the scout and groaned to himself.

Smokescreen: "Don't remind me…"

Starscream reached his servo out and was about to get a hold of the armor that he once lost. But just as he was about to do it…

 _"Commander Starscream. Come in. Are you there? We have a situation."_

Starscream heard the voice of the silver Airadicon on his audio receptors. Sighing, he decided to excuse himself to answer it.

Starscream: "Excuse me for a moment. I got to take this."

He soon walked away and contacted the Con he put in charge of the ship, wondering what he wants this time.

Starscream: "What is it do you want lieutenant? I'm in the middle of my negotiations."

 _"Apologies, commander, but we have a situation in the Nemesis. We got two Autobot intruders that wondered into the ship."_

That got Scream's attention as he listened about the intruders and responded quietly.

Starscream: "Really…? Explain…"

 _"Two Autobots trespass into the ship and freed the two human prisoners. One of the prison guards reported it and we managed to close off the lift exit. Now they are on their way to the hanger and I already set up patrols to block them."_

Starscream smirked and found out what happened to Rodimus and Altra. With that news, he decided to let the lieutenant continue with the plan.

Starscream: "Keep them away from the hanger as much as possible. Once you capture them, bring them down here alive. I have a back up plan if things don't go my way."

The lieutenant was silent on the other end and was concerned about this plan that he needs all of them alive. But he followed it and responded.

 _"Understood, sir. We'll keep them out and bring them to you once we capture them. Out."_

Once he comm. conversation ended, the commander turned to the Prime and apologized in keeping him waiting.

Starscream: "Sorry about that. Just needed to speak to my lieutenant on an important matter. Actually, I do want to congratulate you."

Optimus looked at him strangely and wondered what he's up to.

Optimus Prime: "Congratulate me? On what?"

The others soon heard that and knew that something was about to go down. They slowly placed their servos behind them and activated their weapons in case things go downhill for them. As they were preparing for a fight, Starscream explained about Optimus's actual plan.

Starscream: "Why, for this so called trade off of yours. I always wondered why the new Prime and his carrier didn't come for the trade, let alone why it was too easy for you to surrender your relics and the location of the our base. It seems obvious that you are planning something. Now after getting word from my lieutenant, I realized what your true intentions are. A rescue mission…"

He lifted his arm up and gesture the Cons to prepare the attack. They soon armed their blasters and took aim at the team that was around them. Optimus looked to the Cons around the abandon theme park, and could tell that things were starting to look grim. Yet, he kept his cool and kept his optics on the commander as he slowly approached the trailer filled with the relics.

Starscream: "I got to say, I'm quite impressed of this plan of yours. Stalling me long enough until your student and his mother rescues the two humans we have on the Nemesis? That was truly genius! And to think that you almost got the job done. Too bad it that it crashed and burned right in front of you."

He was soon close enough to the relics and was ready to take the Apex Armor from the trailer bed.

Starscream: "And now that your plan has crashed and burned, it would seem I will still get what I want. Now, to grab the Apex Armor and I'll squeeze the location of your base out of you. And giving your weak state, I don't think you will last unlike our last encounter."

He soon picked up the Apex Armor and was eager to use it on the team.

Starscream: "Oh, how much I love to do this to all of you. This is going to be so-"

But before he could place it on his chest plate, he felt a huge sonic wave blast him from the back and pushed him off his pedes, causing him to let go of the Apex Armor and it sent it flying right into the park and somewhere within the abandon buildings. He too flew into the amusement park as well and collided with the few drones that were in the way. Every Autobot watched on in shock and didn't see that one coming. They all soon turn to the one Autobot that did that, who is Kaosu, as she explained why she fired her sonic blaster at him.

Miko/Kaosu: "What? That was payback for lifting me off the ground and freezing me!"

Scream groaned and slowly got up, feeling the after effects of the blast. Looking right to the Autobots, he decided that he had it.

Starscream: "Argh… No good little youngling. You will pay for that! Destroy them!"

Every Vehicon and Airadicon heard that and aimed their blasters right at the team, firing away. The Autobots reacted by getting their blasters out and fired back. The group was at a standstill but knew that they are far into the open. Bulkhead saw this and decided to get into cover. And the only closest place to get into cover is the tractor-trailer bed that has to remaining relics. Seeing this, he decided to tell everyone to follow him.

Bulkhead: "This way! Hurry!"

He went on ahead to the truck bed while the rest of the team soon followed. As he reached it, he slid the remaining relics to the Autobots side and tilted the trailer bed to the side was wide enough cover for the team to protect themselves. As they took a quick breather, one Autobot was missing from the group as Smokescreen looked up to see Optimus holding his own with his blaster out and fired away at the Cons. But with him out in the open and his legs still recovering from his imprisonment at Darkmount, he won't be able to get into any cover what so ever.

Smokescreen: "Optimus is in trouble!"

Looking down to the relics, he grabbed the Phase Shifter and placed it on his arm. Activating it, he looked to the team and told them that he's going on ahead.

Smokescreen: "I'm going to get him!"

He stood up and made a mad dash to the leader. Arcee sees him getting ready to leave and warned him of the situation.

Arcee: "Smokescreen! Wait!"

But he didn't listen as he phase though the tilted truck bed and out in the open to get to Prime. Meanwhile, Optimus was shooting at any Con that was close, but he cannot risk running otherwise his legs would get damaged again. Starscream saw this and decided to take the opportunity in finishing them off.

Starscream: "Airadicons! Take out the Prime while he's in the open!"

Few of the Airadicons that were on the highest hill of the coaster heard the commander and responded by transforming and flew to the Prime. He saw the group heading towards him and aimed his blaster to shoot them down before they fire. Unfortunately, he could hit just one, but missed the others. The remaining Cons fired their missiles as they flew towards the Prime. So he targeted the missiles and fired away, hoping to hit all of them. Still it won't be enough as he couldn't get his optics on them and he can't avoid them. The missiles started to reach him and were about to explode when they get close. But before they could destroy him, Smokescreen came out of the blue and grabbed a hold of Optimus's servo. With the Phase Shifter glowing, the missiles phased passed both Optimus and Smokescreen and blew up behind them. Optimus looked on in surprise and turned to see the Elite Guard member looked to him with his relic on his arm.

Smokescreen: "Thought you might need some help."

The Prime smiled underneath his mouth guard and was glad he came to his aid. But he looked up to see the Airadicons turning in a circle to get back into position. The two looked at each other while Smoke has a plan.

Smokescreen: "You drive, I'll shoot."

Optimus nodded as he transformed into his truck mode and the recruit jumped on the back end with the Shifter still activated. He soon revved his engine and drifted into a 180, driving back to the trailer bed the rest of the team was at. The Airadicons got into position and fired right back at the two with missiles and blasters. All of them got to the two, but phased through them to avoid fire. Smokescreen retaliated and fired back, taking down the remaining Cons by clipping their wings and causing them to crash. Once they were down, the two phased through the turned over bed and were in safety. Transforming back, Arcee looked to the leader and could tell things are going bad.

Arcee: "So, I take it negotiation is officially off the table?"

Wheeljack peaked up to see the lasers ricocheted on the top and ducked down to answer.

Wheeljack: "By the looks of it… yeah, pretty much. Take it something went wrong with the rescue."

Optimus nodded and knew that things went down south very fast. Arcee was in agreement and decided to speak with Jack of the situation.

Arcee: "Arcee to Rodimus, come in.

* * *

Back to the Nemesis, Rodimus and Altra were speeding towards the hanger bay as an alternate way out. During the drive, Rodimus could hear the femme's voice through the radio.

Arcee: _"Come in Rodimus, do you read?"_

Jack could hear her followed by the sound of blasters in the background and realized that it was bad. Sighing to himself, he responded back the best he could.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I'm here, Arcee. What's going on at the ground?"

Arcee: _"Let's just say that our end just got scourged. What happened up there!"_

The Prime in training mentally gulped and knew that she's not happy.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Let's just say that we ran into a few snags."

Arcee: _"Really? Define a few snags…"_

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Um… We got dad and Elsa out of prison, but our way back is blocked off and we're heading to the hanger bay to get out."

Arcee: _"You don't say? So how's this back up plan of yours is going?"_

Jack was about to say something, he heard Elsa warning him of what's in front of them.

Elsa de Sica: "Jack! Watch out!"

He immediately focused what's in front of them and saw the group of Airadicons that are blocking their path.

"Autobots located! They got the human prisoners! Stop them!"

They soon armed their blasters and fired away at them. Rodimus saw this coming and decided to take an evasive maneuver.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hang on!"

He soon revved his engine and went to Maximum Overdrive with his mom following behind. The Cons started to blast away at the two while they swerve to avoid the fire. By the time they reached the small group, they drifted and slam right to their legs, knocking them off and managed to escape. By the time they got back straight and driving towards the hanger. Jack soon got back on the Comms and told his girlfriend that everything is fine.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Oh, things are going great! No worries!"

* * *

Back to the battle, the Autobots were still in cover as they waited to see what Jack and June are doing. Arcee was listening on the situation and could tell that it was bad, no matter how positive Jack is being.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: _"Look, we'll leave through the hanger and bridge back to base. I'll let you know when we are all safe. Out."_

He soon ended his comm. as Arcee sighed at the situation. Optimus soon approached her and asked about it.

Optimus Prime: "Well, Arcee? What are Rodimus's and Altra's status."

The femme turned to him and shook her head.

Arcee: "Not good. The way back is blocked off and are reaching the Hanger as an alternative way. Guess some Con rat them out and has lead to this mess."

Smokescreen soon turned to them and decided to retreat.

Smokescreen: "Maybe it's best that we retreat to the base as well. This mission is pretty much a failure from the get go."

Wheeljack looked up and provide cover fire, only to be bombarded by more blaster shots. Ducking down, he told him that it was impossible.

Wheeljack: "No can do, kiddo. There are too many of these bucket heads shooting at us. We try to get into the bridge, we would get shot down in the back."

Bulk groaned and remembered the last time that happened.

Bulkhead: "Yeah… Felt that the first time around. Wasn't a pleasant feeling."

Miko soon looked at everyone and came up with a back up plan.

Miko/Kaosu: "So our best bet is to fight back until we're in the clear? That works for me."

Optimus listened to all of them and decided to fight back, no matter what.

Optimus Prime: "It seems that we have no choice in the matter but to fight them. At least until we are sure that there are none on this park. Autobots, arm up and prepare for battle!"

The group nodded as Bumblebee, and Kaosu armed their weapons while Arcee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Smokescreen get a hold of their relics to provide aid. Arcee soon looked to the leader and was worried about one thing.

Arcee: "With all due respect, Optimus. You are still in no condition to fight and are not cleared for missions. With you limping, there's no way in having you go out there and get shot."

Optimus heard her and knew that she has a really good point. His recovery was slow and his legs aren't fully functional yet. Any attempt to fight back and he would be pretty much scrapped. But he soon turned to Smokescreen that has his Phase Shifter armed and decided to give himself a bit of an assist as well.

Optimus Prime: "Smokescreen, perhaps it is best that you lend me your Phase Shifter just for today."

The Elite Guard member looked to his leader in shock and didn't think that he would ask for such a favor. After all, he and the shifter have been inseparable since coming to Team Prime. But with Optimus still weakened at his state, it is obvious that he needs it more then him. So sighing, he removed his Shifter from his arm and hands it to him.

Smokescreen: "Here you go, boss. Just be careful with it."

Optimus got the shifter and placed it on his arm to activate it. As he have it armed, Smokescreen sighed and knew that another relic should've worked.

Smokescreen: "It's shame that we don't have the Apex Armor at this moment. You would've used it to protect yourself."

Bumblebee then peered his optics to the Wrecking Cadet and knew who's at fault.

Bumblebee: _**(Well, we all know who to blame…)**_

Miko immediately heard that complained back.

Miko/Kaosu: "Hey! Starscream had that relic when he found out our plan and was going to use it. I had to blow him down and the relic before he could make a move."

Arcee could hear the argument and decided that they need to chill for a moment.

Arcee: "Save the complaints you two. Right now, we need to take care of these Cons fast before we could leave. We can't escape without any Cons trying to follow us!"

Optimus listened to all of them and decided to let them take care of it quickly.

Optimus Prime: "Understood. We must hold them off long enough until Rodimus and Altra get John and Elsa to safety!"

Wheeljack smirked and knew what to do. Activating the Polarity Gauntlet, the controls glowed orange there an orangey hue around it.

Wheeljack: "All right! Let's wreck it up!"

Pointing at the tilted semi truck bed and pushed it forward. The commander saw the trailer bed headed straight to them and warned everyone in its path.

Starscream: "Incoming!"

He transformed and flew up high while Soundwave followed suit. Knockout though didn't have a flight mode, so he positioned himself and lifted off the ground and was soaring in the air, going over the truck bed with ease and landing on the side. The rest of the drones on the ground… not so much. They were in the line of fire and were mowed down by the truck bed, flattening them and breaking them apart. Once most of them were cleared, the remaining Cons on the ground continued to fire and used their blasters on the team. The group held their ground as Optimus gave the order.

Optimus Prime: "Autobots, Roll Out!"

They soon transform and drove straight to the huge army of Cons that were firing at them. Arcee saw the Airadicons that were on a coaster and decided to take that path. Popping a wheelie, she jumped on the loading track and sped right up the hill. The small group of Airadicons saw this and targeted their weapons at her. She quickly avoided the gunfire with ease as she went overdrive to increase her speed. By the time she reached the top, she flew in the air while doing a twist, transforming midway to begin the attack. Arming her blasters, she fired right at them with a barrage of blasters. The group backed up and fired away as they were missing on their shots. By the time she reached the group, she extended her leg out and kicked the first Con on the faceplate, knocking him off the coaster and falling to the ground. She soon charged in and continuously fired her blasters as the rest of them. One by one, she took them down and let them fall off the coaster. She looked down to the bottom and wondered if she took care of them. Unfortunately, she nearly realized that the group she encountered were Airadicons as they flew up and around the femme like a bunch of vultures. They soon dive down and fired their blasters right at her. The two-wheeler managed to avoid the attack and the dives as she fired back. But they were flying around fast and it was difficult hit them. They dived down again and fired another round as she avoided them with ease. But what she noticed was the coaster was worse for wares as the elements and lack of maintenance is started to weaken and made the coaster all rickety. She was regaining her balance and realized that it was a bad idea heading up to the top. And with the Airadicons circling around her, it was going to get extremely difficult. Just then, she came up with an idea to take them down, and she has a relic with her. Taking the Immobilizer off her back and armed it up to fire. The moment she fired it at the flying Airadicons and a stream of waves spread wide as she spin in a circle. The wave of energy hit the jets flying and their engines ceased, causing them to fall from the air. Looking to the falling Cons, she smirked and made a quick remark.

Arcee: "Thanks for dropping by."

The jets fell to the ground, exploding on impact. Meanwhile, on the ground the three Wreckers were charging towards the Cons that were firing at them. Wheeljack, who was holding his polarity gauntlet, and Bulkhead, holding the Forge of Solus Prime in his servos, charging in the front while Kaosu took the back. They could see the large number of cons on the roof of the dilapidated buildings and it looks unstable enough for an explosion. The Wrecking Cadet saw this and smirked to herself. Arming her shoulder mounted cannons, she fired two rockets at the buildings and they exploded on contact. The fire and smoke weakened the structures and caused a roof collapse, sending the Cons down through the burning buildings and roasted their metal skin. Most of them soon got out of the buildings and their armor was sizzling and charged towards the three Wreckers. Jackie could see the group charging and decided to take them head on.

Wheeljack: "Nice thinking, cadet! Now let's wipe the slate clean on these Cons!"

He soon closed his mouth guard and got his sword out with is free servo. Bulk tightened the Forge and was in agreement with his friend.

Bulkhead: "Oh yeah! This is going to be awesome!"

The two charged in and was ready for complete combat against the Cons. One by one, they were able to take the Cons down by sword strikes and pounding. Those that they missed is for Kaosu as she armed her gravity hammers and smacked them with powerful impacts. Jackie used his sword to slice drone's limbs apart while using his gauntlet to push off a few that was about to attack him. Just then, he could feel blaster shots coming from his side. Turning to he left, he saw some Cons at a distance shooting at him. Knowing that he has his hands full, he need to find an alternative way to taking them off their rocker. That's when he found an abandon bumper car ride with turned over and mishandled bumper cars themselves. Seeing this, he found an alternative offensive and pointed his Polarity Gauntlet at them. They were soon engulfed in a golden hue and lifted up off the ground. With a quick fling of the arm, the cars flew out of their station and soared right to the enemy. They all saw this and focused their attention to the projectiles, firing away. They managed to get a few hits, but the rest collided with their faces and knocked off their targeting positions. Jackie looked to the damage he done and was pleased with it.

Wheeljack: "Guess the humans were right. These rides are kind of fun."

Bulkhead was soon surrounded by Vehicons as one of them pointed his blaster at them.

"Give it up! We have you surrounded! You got anything to say?"

Bulk peered his eyes at the number of them and came up with a way out of it. Tightening the handle of the Forge, he retorted with his own line.

Bulkhead: "I got one… It's hammer time!"

With that said, he pivoted the foot and spin in a circle, letting the hammer stick out to create a bunch of strikes. Each drone was knocked out by the hammer and laid on the ground motionless. Once they were clear, Bulk stopped near the very Con that threaten him and lifted his hammer high up to deliver a crushing blow to his helm. With that out of the way, he looked around at the devastation and was pleased with his work.

Bulkhead: "Huh… I might not be a Prime, but the hammer makes a very reliable weapon. Could use it in the field more often."

Just then, he was bombarded with blaster fire and turned to see a few more Cons at a distance. He armed his blaster and fired away at them. At the same time, both Smokescreen and Bumblebee were in their vehicle modes looking for a good position to strike. By then, they spotted the Wreckers getting attacked from the Cons at a shooting distance and knew that they needed all the help they could get.

Smokescreen: "Looks like our friends are in a bit of a mess. Let's clear it up for them!"

Bee responded by quick whirls and the two sped up to reach the Cons. When they made it to them, they soon made a drift and were to the side, knocking down every Con from front to back. Once they were down, they transformed and stopped at their pedes, arming their blasters and firing at them. The first few never go the chance to recover and were blasted to death, while the others scattered and spread out to fire back. The two bots immediately split and looked for a good advantage in taking them down. For Smokescreen, he saw a defunct swing ride that was in complete disrepair. Hopping off the ground and onto a building, he made the jump and was on top of the ride to get a height advantage. Activating his other blaster, he dual fired on the Cons as some of them were taken out.

For Bumblebee, it is a whole different story. He was running in a curve while using both of his blasters to take out the rest of the Cons. He's in need of some cover to protect himself from the blaster fire around him. He quickly got behind a locker room area for customers to keep their belongings safe. Getting behind the structure, he took a breather and was wondering how to approach this one. Looking on, he discovered a bunch of trash cans near him. Seeing this, he came up with a really good idea. Picking up two trashcans with both servos, he waited for a few seconds before he decided to initiate his plan. When he got that plan in motion, he tossed it to one side and armed his blasters for the moment to fire. The drones, meanwhile, were waiting patiently for the scout to come out. That's when they noticed something coming out of their right side. They turned their blasters to it, thinking it was Bumblebee, and fired right away. But then, they noticed that they were a bunch of trash cans coming out and wondered what happened. Before they could react, Bee came out of cover and fired his blaster at the drones, hitting a few of them at the spark chambers and killing them off. The rest of them managed to get out of the line of fire and fired back. Bee immediately transformed and sped away from the Vehicons. But they do not give up yet as they transformed and followed him.

Optimus was in his truck mode, making a B line for the remaining Vehicons that were on the ground. But suddenly, Airadicons started to fly down and surround the leader, transforming and aiming their weapons at him. Optimus stopped and transformed, arming his blaster with one arm while deploying his blade with the other. He soon quickly did a stance and gave the drones a warning.

Optimus Prime: "Know this, Decepticons… I might be wounded, but that doesn't mean that I would give up without a fight."

The Airadicons looked to each other for a few short seconds before turned back and fired their blasters at him. Optimus though had the Phase Shifter on as the projectiles phased through him and left him without a scratch. He soon retaliated with using his blaster and fired right at their faces, knocking them off their bodies and leaving them twitching before collapsing on the floor. The rest of the Cons decided to fight him head on and charged in for a striking kill. Course, they got nothing as the phase shifter prevented them from making a single strike, even if Optimus was standing still. The Prime then fought back and used his blade to slice Cons apart piece by piece. So far, the fight is on his side as the Phase Shifter was aiding him in battle when he's still recovering. But he hopes things don't get worse from here.

But up in the air, Starscream and Soundwave flew in the air and headed to two drop towers that were in the middle of the park. They transformed and landed on their own top, looking down at the battle that's taking place. Seeing that the battle isn't on their end, Starscream decided to pull all the stops.

Starscream: "Cursed Autobots. They think they got the upper hand on us. They are wrong."

He turned to his Intelligence Officer and told him his backup plan.

Starscream: "Send in heavy reinforcements. I want Insecticons, Tankicons, and Combaticons down here to hold them back."

Soundwave nodded as he sent a signal to the Nemesis to send any reinforcements to the surface. But as he did that, Scream added one more thing on his orders.

Starscream: "And Soundwave… Return to the Nemesis immediately. I got a hunch that the new Prime and that nurse are heading to the hanger bay with our prisoners. See to it that they don't get off the ship and bring them back to the park. We still need to make that trade."

The Intel Officer heard this and was very silent about that order. He soon gave a small nod and transformed back to his drone mode and flew up to the Nemesis. Scream looked up to the officer flying to the sky and was pleased with his plan.

Starscream: "Let's see if those two can handle him."

* * *

Back to the Nemesis, the two Autobots continued to drive down the halls to make their way to the Hanger Bay. As they were driving, something was coming up from behind and gaining on them. June noticed it and warned her son of the situation.

June/Altra: "Jack! We got company on our tailpipes!"

Jack check his review mirror and saw metal beetles flying after them. He soon realized what they are and warned his mother about them.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Scrap! Insecticons! And we can't shake them in these narrow halls!"

The three Insecticons armed their blaster horns and fired right at them. The two vehicles managed to swerve a little to avoid the shots, but they can't make a full escape with them on their rears. John was feeling the swerves as he held on with his seat belt on tightly. Looking back to the bug, he decided to intervene.

John Darby: "Looks like we have no choice but to fight back. Elsa!"

The girl heard John through the comm. between the two Darby Cybertronians and followed it honorably.

Elsa de Sica: "Understood! Jack, open the sun roof!"

Rodimus heard her and was a little surprised at first. But he had no choice in the matter and opened the sunroof of his Hummer for her. She soon unbuckles her seatbelt and got off her passenger seat, getting up to the roof of the car. As she was doing that, Jack spoke to his father on the comm., wondering what they are up to.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad, you sure it's wise for Elsa to fight them?"

John could hear his son on the comm. channel of Altra and explained about it.

John Darby: "It's not like we have a choice in the matter, do we? Besides, this isn't her first time in fighting Cons. Remember?"

Jack remembered when Elsa was battling Cons on the first visit. From that battle with Airachnid to sacrificing her life for his father when she took a full blast of Dark Energon, she was a brave soldier through and through.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "That might be true. But she never faced Insecticons before. Hell, she doesn't have a weapon on her!"

John heard that and smirked very cocky.

John Darby: "Oh, she has one now!"

Elsa managed to keep her head up to the sunroof and saw the three Insecticons chasing them. They fired their blaster horns and nearly hit Elsa. Thankfully, she managed to duck her head down to not get hit and decided to fire back. Getting her arm up, she opened it up to show off her blaster, ripping the sleeve in the process. Taking aim, she charged a shot and fired it at the enemies. The Insecticon in the middle got hit squarely in the head and crashed on the floor with an explosion in the background. The other two were a bit shocked that the girl would possess firepower, but still decided to retaliate. They soon fired their blaster horns in quick bursts and tried to take her off her game. Elsa kept her head down and fired back with bursts of her own. The two sides were at a standoff while Rodimus and Altra were driving away from them. The nurse saw it in front of her and was a little skeptic of what she saw.

June/Altra: "What the… Since when does your girl turn her arm into a blaster? Is there something you're not telling us, dear?"

She turned her dashboard mirror to her husband as he rubbed the back of his head, trying not to explain in detail.

John Darby: "It's a long and very complicated story. I'll explain about it once we make an escape."

The two vehicles drove faster as Elsa was firing at the two remaining Insecticons with all her power. They soon made a quick drift to the right and went into another hallway. But when they did, they could see a blockade in the way. That blockade is comprised of two Tankicons and Two Combaticons in the middle. Jack could see them charging up their weaponry and knew that this isn't going to end well.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Oh boy… This isn't good. The Cons have blocked our path."

Elsa turned back to see them and saw the two Tankicons firing their shells at them.

Elsa de Sica: "Incoming!"

The cars managed to avoid the shells as they flew between them and blew up in the distance. As the hall was on fire, the two Insecticons flew through it and were still on the chase. Elsa lowered her weapon and looked at both sides, realizing that they were in a whole lot of trouble.

Elsa de Sica: "Looks like we're in the proverbial rock and a hard place. There's no way out!"

Jack though decided to pull off a serious risk and warned his father and her of what the plan is.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad, Elsa. If we are to breath through, it is imperative that we have to pull off all the stops. Got to warn you through, it may get a little too aggressive.

John heard his son and wondered what he has planned.

John Darby: "What? What exactly are you talking abouuuuuuuAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

The two immediately went into maximum overdrive and raced as fast as possible to the three heavy Cons. The Tankicon saw them heading towards their position and fired another shell. As they were near and the shell was fast approaching, the two decided to go into action as John was immediately scared for his life.

John Darby: "No, no, no, no NOOOOOOOOOO!"

By the time is say that, everything went into slow motion while Rodimus and Altra transformed, ejecting the two prisoners out in mid transformation and letting them soar in the air. The shell already missed them as they tilted to the side during the transformation before jumping up and begin the attack. Jack jumped up on the wall and ran on it before jumping off and flying to the Tankicons in the middle. Deploying his Star Saber sword, and dodged a swing from the Combaticon and placed his pedes on the shield that's protecting the Tankicon. With so much force, he toppled the Con down and was ready for a preempted strike. But the Con had better plans as his cannon nozzle pointed at the new Prime's head and was charging a shot. Rodimus saw this and quickly bend to the side, letting the Con missed him with his charged shot. But that said shot struck the Combaticon through the chest as he was going to strike with his fist charged up for a cowardly punch. Escaping that near death experience, he did a quick spin and with one huge slice, chops the Tankicon's head off clean, killing him in mere moments. Midway to the spin, he soon armed his blaster on his other arms and took aim at the Insecticon from the right, firing a shot at his wing and blew it up, causing it to fly out of control.

At the same time, June did a quick roll to avoid the other Combaticon's flaking arms and deployed her scalpels. Getting up, she was in close enough distance to slice the Con's arms off and left him defenseless. Knowing this, she retracted her blades and grabbed him by the chest plate, letting herself fall down. Landing on her back, she used her lower strength to kick the heavy in the air and rolled back up in a backwards position. The moment he was flying, the headless Insecticon collided with him and they both exploded close to her. She soon focused on the other Tankicon that was easily distracted of the mayhem and used one of her deliberators to shock, giving him much paralyzing power before the two Cons she took care of earlier smashed with him as well.

While in the air, Elsa was soaring and turned backwards, seeing the last Insecticon approaching her. With quick thinking, she aim her blaster arm at it and fired a straight up sniper shot to his visor and caused it to go blind. It too flew around before hitting the already dead Combaticon that Rodimus took care of and they blew up on impact.

As there were explosions in the background, both Jack and June managed to grab John and Elsa on their servos and landed on the ground with a quick roll. During the roll, the two immediately transformed while parts and gears moved around the two prisoners. John was in the ride of his life and the shifting was finished and was back in the passenger seat of Altra with the two vehicles reverting back to driving. The Darby took an immediate breather and demanded that they don't go through that mess.

John Darby: "June?! Do me a favor and not do that again! I swear, I thought I saw my life flashed before my eyes."

The nurse chuckled and apologized for that.

June/Altra: "Sorry about that. It was last moment and we needed to get through."

John rolled his eyes around and sighed, trying to calm his fast beating heart.

John Darby: "And to think I already miss you in your human side."

Jack could hear them argue as he drove in front of them and told them to hurry.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "All right, that's enough you two. You can fight later. Right now, we need to get to the hanger to escape. Roll out!"

The two vehicles drove straight and headed to where the hanger is located.

* * *

Returning to the theme park, the Autobots were holding as much as possible against the Cons, using anything they have from their mounted weapons to their relics. Arcee was on the roller coater and was using her blasters at a sniping distance, taking out a couple of drones in the process. By the looks of it, the fight is going to the Autobot side and things are going their way. But then, she could hear the sound of fluttering from very close by. Turning back, she could see multiple Insecticons fast approaching the park and were in far distance and have their laser horns charging. Seeing this, she realized that the Cons are now pulling all the stops.

Arcee: "Scrap!"

They all soon fired at the femme on the roller coaster while she flipped and spinned around to avoid the projectiles. At the same time, she fired her blasters right at the group in the air, taking out a few in the process. But there will be more of them as they all flew over her. They soon turned around and fired more shots at her. She avoided the shots again as they flew over her and turned around to try and fire again. Knowing that she has enough, she took the immobilizer out and fires a stream right at them. The ones in the middle were caught by the stream and they froze completely, falling to the ground and crashing in an explosion. But the rest of them avoided it and shot right at the rusted metal pillars and they were taken down. That in turn cause a chain reaction, causing the Arcee to fall along with them. Quickly, she recovered and jumped on and off the falling debris while the Insecticons approached her. Seeing this, she jumped off the coaster rail and went in the air and reached the first Insecticon that was close by, grabbing one of its pincers in the process. The bug felt that and tried to get her off its pincer. That caused the two-wheeler to swing back and forth before letting go to fly upwards and landing on its head, using its horn as a way to keep her on. She soon used the horn as a steering wheel and maneuver the Insecticon anyways she can while the remnants of the coaster fall behind them. Through the falling debris, more Insecticons came in and gave chase, firing their horns at her. Arcee looked behind to see the projectiles whiz by her and had to get them off her back. Arming her blaster with her free servo, she turned to them and fired charge shots right at them. The group flew away to avoid it and got back to fire again. She could see it and knew that it was bad. She had to get them off her before they get a lucky shot. Looking ahead, she could see another coaster with a loop in the middle. She soon smiled and knew how to handle it. Forcing the bug she was on, they flew straight through the loop and set her plan to motion. The rest of the Insecticons saw this and immediately went after her while continuing to fire. By the time she reached the loop nearby. By the time she got there, she pulled the horn of the Insecticon up and caused it to fly high in the air. She soon got high enough; she was upside down and was in a loop of her own. The rest of the bugs was caught by surprise and didn't expect her to actually pull something like that. They were soon caught off guard as Cee took precise aim at upside down and shot down their wings, causing them to fall and crashing through a couple of buildings. Once she was upright on the other side, she jumped off the Con and shot off its wings and it too fall with their comrades. Landing on the ground with her pedes, she looked to the success of her plan and was pleased with it.

Arcee: "Well, that was fun. Who would've thought roller coasters would have quite an adrenaline rush."

By the time she said that, she heard the sound of an engine fast approaching her. She turned behind her and saw a red supped up sports car and realized that she was going to get run over. She quickly jumped and flipped over the sports car to land on the other side. Looking back she saw the car made a drift and transformed in the process. Standing there, she saw Knockout looking poised and deciding to go easy on her.

Knockout: "Arcee, we really got to stop meeting like this. Though I got to admit, I'm impressed by the stunt that you pulled. Very aggressive. You should've been a grand Con."

Arcee stood her ground and got to a stance to fight.

Arcee: "Sorry… But I'm not interested in joining those to stood behind a spineless leader and act as his shield."

The Decepticon Medic was coy and decided to cut to the chase.

Knockout: "Ah… How honorable… Too bad that you are going die honorably!"

He soon shifted his servos into both his saw and drill and got into a stance himself. Cee soon armed her blades on her arms and had a smirk to her face."

Arcee: "Not that I take care of you first…"

The two stood there and were quiet as they waited for either of them to strike. After a few good seconds, they both charged in clashed with their weapons.

Meanwhile, the Wreckers were having their way at the remaining Cons and attacked anyone that stands in their way. Bulk was using the Forge hammer to knock down Cons by their helms. He soon saw a few more of them at the distance and turned back to let his backside absorbed the damage. But then, two rockets came out of the blue and blasted them off the ground. He soon turned and saw Kaosu at the distance too with her shoulder mounted rocket launchers armed. She did a quick salute as a way of saying that she's got his back. But then, multiple blue and green portals opened up around them and they knew what it meant.

Miko/Kaosu: "Looks like the Cons are sending in backup!"

Just then, multiple Tankicons appeared and surrounded the two.

Bulkhead: "Yeah, and it's the heavy kind of backup. Hit the dirt!"

The Tankicons placed their shielding down to protect themselves while they fired their cannons at them. The two Wreckers got down as the projectiles missed them a lot. As soon as they got out of that mess, Bulk got up and knew that it was going to be bad.

Bulkhead: "Looks like we got ourselves a dangerous situation in our hands. Nothing we can take on. You ready Miko?"

The Wrecking Cadet heard him and responded.

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh, you know I was born ready!"

But just as they were ready to fight, another portal opened up as Bulkhead turned around as saw a Combaticon charging right at him. Seeing this, Bulk decided to fight him instead."

Bulkhead: "Okay, situation just got worse from here on out. Keep them busy, Miko! I'll handle the brute!"

Arming up his hammer, he charged in and rose it up, while the Combaticon charged his huge prods on his back to increase his power. The two collided and their fists and hammer sent a shockwave to spread around the area. Kaosu was caught by surprise and was knocked off his pedes. The same goes with the Tankicons as they too were taken down from the blast. Once they were taken down, Miko managed to get up and saw the group of Cons down and needs to take them out and quick. Getting her cannons out, she fired one rocket after another and shot them down one at a time. So far, she managed to take out half of them, but the other half managed to recover and got their shield up and protected themselves from a near death experience. She could see that and knew that she's in a lot of trouble.

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh boy…"

She soon transformed and to drive away as soon as possible. The remaining Tankicons followed suit and transformed and chased her down, using their cannons to blast them off her tires. She swerved one side to another to avoid each shot and had to figure out a way to avoiding it. Speeding away from them, she would see Wheeljack trying to take down the remaining Cons as his end and decided to get his aid.

Miko/Kaosu: "Wheeljack! A little help over here!"

Jackie used his Polarity Gauntlet to pull one Con over to him and used his sword to slice him in two. When he was done, he turned to see the cadet heading towards him with multiple Tankicons giving chase, firing their cannons at her. Seeing this, he knew that the risk is greater then before. Looking to his gauntlet, he came up with a plan and told her to trust him.

Wheeljack: "Get ready to jump kid! I got you!"

The Wrecking Cadet heard this and wondered what he's planning. She soon decided to trust him and sped right to him. The Tankicons saw this as well and knew that she has nowhere to go. Transforming back, they all got together and fired their cannons at the same time, blowing behind her in the process. That said explosion pushed her off the ground and was soaring in the air. Transforming in the air, she was in a panic with her arms flailing. Wheeljack could see her flying to him and armed his gauntlet and took aim to her. Firing at her, she was bathed in an orangey hue and stopped just inches to her. Pointing up higher, he fired her in the air and she was caught by completely surprise. But looking down, she could see the Tankicons looking up while aiming their cannons to fire, only to miss her. Seeing this, she saw her opening and fired her rockets at the group. The explosion on impact wiped out a few while missing a few more in the process. But that didn't stop her as she shifted her hands into her gravity hammers and went over the group. Landing on the other side, she charged her hammers and slammed them to the ground on contact. That caused a shockwave to push them off the ground and was flying. She looked on and decided to finish this fight by spinning in circles like a ballerina and slammed her hammers in many directions. They were all taken out and were scattered through the Midway area. Seeing the mess, she turned to Wheeljack and was happy of what happened.

Miko/Kaosu: "Sweet thinking there, Jackie. Those Cons didn't see it coming! Just a little warning next time you pull something like that off."

Wheeljack shrugged it off and told her that that's the fun of it.

Wheeljack: "Please… And where is the fun in that?"

The cadet smirked and knew that he was making things easy. Just then, more green and blue portals opened up as the two Wreckers looked on and stood back. That's when they see more Combaticons coming out and were ready to fight. The two stood back and had their backs to each other, arming their weapons and preparing for a serious fight. Jackie turned back and asked Miko of their top heavy.

Wheeljack: "Bulkhead?"

Miko looked back and answered him.

Miko/Kaosu: "Preoccupied. We're on our own. What's the plan?"

Jackie raises his sword and was eager to fight.

Wheeljack: "Like we always do, Wreck them up!"

Miko smiled widely and liked the sound of that.

Miko/Kaosu: "Now you're talking my language!"

All the Combaticons charged their prods and pounded their fists for a fight. The Wreckers were ready for this too and got their weapons up for a battle. The two charged in and jumped high in the air, ready to deliver the first blow.

To the scout and Elite Guard member, they were holding the best they can. Smokescreen remained on top of the defunct swing ride shooting down Cons at high distance while the Vehicons got into covering fire to protect themselves. As soon as they were firing back, they could hear the sound of an engine from close by and looked back to see Bumblebee getting chased by more Vehicons in their vehicle forms. Seeing this, one of the drone's told the others to fire at him instead.

"Autobot! Take it out!"

They all aim their blasters at him and tried to fire at him. Bee quickly swerves as much as possible and needs to do something. Transforming during the drive, he jumped in the air, turned to the side, and fired his blasters at them. He shot down the covered Cons to the chest and they were shut down. Smokescreen saw this and noticed the Cons that were chasing the scout in the first place. Knowing that he's in danger, he focused on the chasers and fired right at their tires and they were knocked off, causing them to loose control and crashed through kiddie rides and abandoned food stands. When they were out, Bee rolled out of the way and looked back to see the Cons that crashed into many places and their tires were knocked off their vehicles. He soon turned back, and saw Smokescreen with his blaster still smoking and had a smile on his face. Bee couldn't help but to smile back behind his facemask and waved him off.

Bumblebee: _**(Thanks for the assist.)**_

Smoke heard the beeping and appreciated the thanks.

Smokescreen: "Don't mention it. Just doing my job."

Before they could relax, a portal came behind the Elite Guard and he doesn't know about it. Bee though saw it and saw a shadow that was coming through and warned him of the situation.

Bumblebee: _**(Smokescreen! Behind you!)**_

He looked to the scout in confusion and didn't know what he meant.

Smokescreen: "What?"

He looked back and the next thing he saw is a silver Airadicon coming out of the blue and spearing him in the process. That jet soon flew high, taking him in the sky in the process. Bee saw all this go down and was shocked by the sight of it.

Bumblebee: _**(Hang on, Smokescreen! I'll get you!)**_

But as soon as he said that, more blue and green portals opened around him and out came more Combaticons and are already charged up to fight. The scout noticed that he's outnumbered and got into a stance and wondered how to approach this.

Bumblebee: _**(Right after I handle these huge brutes.)**_

They all charged in and were ready to strike while Bee held his ground to fight back. Up in the air, Smokescreen was hanging on as much as possible as he didn't expect to get struck out of nowhere. Slowly climbing up, he gripped as much as possible, hoping not to fall.

Smokescreen: "Whoa! Easy there!"

Finally getting up, he acted as a surfer on a surfboard, looking down to see the theme park from below, and didn't like the looks of it.

Smokescreen: "Oh, boy… This is so not good. Just wish I had my Phase Shifter with me. It would've been safer then that. At least it's not that bad."

Suddenly, multiple ground bridges opened up in the air and more of the silver Airadicons came out in their jet modes. He looked up to see them and knew that he jinxed it completely.

Smokescreen: "Yep… I definitely need to learn to shut up."

The jets saw the Autobot on one of their own and decided to open fire on him. Smokescreen was bombarded with red projectiles and had little time to avoid it all. One of the blasts hit the Airadicon by the engine and he was heavily damaged. This caused the jet to sputter to the park and was going to crash. Smokescreen would see this and knew that it was really bad. He looked up to see that they were crashing into a wooden roller coaster and decided to jump on it to get to safety. Waiting for the right moment, he was close enough to jump onto the coaster by the track and transformed while the jet crashed into it, exploding on impact. That said explosion caused the coaster to collapse from the blast and tumbled like dominoes. Smoke managed to get on the track and transformed to speed through the track while the tracks collapsed from behind. He drove around the curves and twists while the coaster was crashing around him while the blaster fire from the silver jets were around him.

Meanwhile, Optimus was holding his own as he feuded with Vehicons in hand to hand combat. Fortunately, with is Phase Shifter still activated, he doesn't have problems with his temporary disability. He continued to slash away with his sword while the Con made attempted strikes, only to have their sharp digits phase through the armor. The Prime quickly used the sword to cut the one Con to the side and he was diagonally split in half. Once he was done, he looked around at the carcasses of the Drones he disposed off and thought that he had everything under control. But things started to worsen as he heard the sound of jet engines roaring from above. Looking up, he could see the same silver Airadicons that was pursuing Smokescreen and noticed the Prime close by. One of them saw it and warned the others.

"There's the Prime! Take him out!"

They all dive down and took aim at their blasters and missiles. The Prime braced for an attack as the missiles and projectiles hit the ground. Some of them hit him, but the phase shifter prevented him from getting blown to bits. All there is left is plums of smoke as the Airadicons wondered if they got him.

"Did we get him?"

One of the drones got his answer as one of his comrades got shot by a lone projectile and was taken down easily. The rest were in shock, as the smoke cleared at Optimus was standing there, unharmed, with his blaster pointing up to the sky. The group saw this and knew that they need to pull all the stops.

"Change of plans, boys! Spread out and conquer! That Autobot is going down!"

They all soon spread out and surrounded the Prime, firing what they have at him. The Prime was surrounded by explosions and blaster fire as some of them fazed through him with the help of the relic on his wrist. Arming two of his blasters, he fired away on many directions and took them down one by one. Yet, there are too many of them and he doesn't know how to take them all on, let alone how long the relic is going to last.

* * *

Back in the Nemesis, there were more drones trying to prevent intruders from reaching them. Almost immediately, they were hit by multiple blaster shots to both the chest plates and heads, letting them fall in the process. The corpses soon were mowed down by the Hummer and Volvo and were knocked down long before they were dead. Once they plowed through, Elsa was out of the sunroof of the hummer partially and her blaster attached to her arm was glowing. Smirking, she blew the heat off the nozzle and was successful with her work. Jack witness it with his front headlights and was amazed at her shooting skills.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Nice shot, Elsa. Who would've thought that you could use that laser gun attached to your arm pretty well. We had to get use to our blasters for a while."

Elsa got back to the passenger seat and explained how she managed to use it.

Elsa de Sica: "It's nothing too special. Your father set up a targeting course away from the agency to help me hone on my new skills. Course, we need to make sure Section 2 doesn't follow us, giving that things were suspicious after that one mission in retrieving Claes."

John overheard it on the comm. relay between his wife and son and shrugged it off.

John Darby: "Well, when you have a girl that suddenly have a blaster in her arm, you need to make sure that the Agency doesn't see anything off about it."

June heard this and wondered about it too.

June/Altra: "That reminds me, exactly why Elsa has a blaster attached to her arm? And how can does it look and shift like Arcee's? Doesn't make much sense when you look at it."

John heard this and sighed deeply. Now that Elsa revealed that small part of her, he has to explain about it.

John Darby: "Well, it's complicated. You remember when we had to give her regular energon to help counter the Dark Energon in her system? Well, turns out that using that energon has affected her cybernetic body and giving her Cybertronian components. That blaster is one of the things that have been mysteriously added. I never expect that to happen at all."

Both Jack and June heard that and were a bit shocked by the news, but understandable.

Jack/Rodimus: "That makes sense… Ratchet believes that using energon on a human with cybernetic components would have a lasting effect. We never imagined that would happen. Why didn't you mention this to the Agency?"

John was quiet about this and explained about it.

John Agency: "You know the Social Welfare Agency. They are trying to make cybernetic soldiers to help stop the Republic Faction and the Padania. If they find out that Elsa has any physical changes, they would take her in for testing, experiments, or worse, take her apart to make new soldiers, like what they did with Claes. That's the last thing that I wanted from them. Which is why I keep that from them and tried to make sure, they didn't see her behaving strangely."

The two heard of this and could understand the reason why. John doesn't want the agency to know what happened to Elsa; otherwise, it would lead to some serious consequences. Sighing on this, Jack decided to speak to him.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad… I can imagine why you keep it from them. You should be worried if they really do find out."

John smirked and decided to save those consequences for later.

John Darby: "Oh, I'll worry about it when we cross that bridge. Right now, we have to get out of here. Now I'm hoping you know what to do when we get to the hanger, right? I mean, I'm certain they got heavy security there."

Jack thought of that and decided to let him in on what he has in store.

Jack Darby: "Not to worry… I got this one."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the hanger bay, a group of Vehicons were on watch as they heard of intruders and prisoners heading to the hanger bay. As they were waiting, one of them asked about these intruders.

"Sweet Primus… This solar cycle's been a complicated one. Escaped prisoners, intruders in the ship, Interrogation gone array. Man, what a mess."

The other Vehicon looked to him and told him that it wasn't anything to worry about.

"Quit the complaining, will ya? We got everything under control. Starscream's on the ground holding them at bay and those two intruders with the prisoners they got are not going anywhere. This hanger is the only way off this ship and without a proper bridge, they won't leave from the inside of the Nemesis."

The first Con sighed and explained about it.

"That's all well and dandy, but in case you didn't notice, those two Autobots are making a B line to this hanger and I've heard that a few of our blockades have failed to stop them. I fear they're going to come here and take us out in the process."

The second Con waved it off and continued to be positive.

"That's enough! Look, the commander has a plan and we are going to follow it. Besides the Nemesis is on security lock down and the only way out is through there. Don't get too worked up over nothing. There's no way that they would get to the entrance."

As soon as he said that, they all heard the sound of engines coming close by. They slowly turned to the end of the hall and saw two vehicles fast approaching them. The first Con glared at the second one as he was shocked of what happened.

"You were saying…"

The second drone quickly ordered the others to attack.

"Fire! Fire! Don't let them near the hanger bay!"

They soon armed their blasters and fired right at the two, hoping to take them out before reaching their goal.

* * *

Inside the main hanger, there were Cons on the other end hearing the blaster fire and knew that the intruders were near. The leading Airadicon heard this too and told the others to prepare themselves.

"Hear that? Sounds like the Autobots are already here! Everyone, get to your positions! We can't let them leave the ship!"

Soon enough, every con in the hanger were setting up a heavy defense to stop just two Autobots. The ground forces moved to the front, consisting of Tankicons at the front and Combaticons and Insecticons in the back while Airadicons and Vehicons were at the catwalks. Getting everything set, they all waited until the two managed to get in. During the wait, they could hear the sound of blaster fire getting less and less while sounds of slashing was heard. In a matter of seconds, the hall on the other side of the door was completely silent and the huge group wondered if the group on the other end got them. They got their answer when there was a huge slice in a diagonal angle from one corner of the door to another with a blue glow to it. The group stood their ground and are ready for a full on assault. Once the next diagonal slice form the next corner to corner, there was more silence as the group waited to see what comes next. The door soon exploded as the metal broke apart and fall to the floor, letting smoke plume throughout the area. The Cons were blinded for a few short seconds, as they don't know who just came out. By the time the smoke cleared, there stood both Jack and June Darby, with sword and scalpel blades armed and are ready to fight to get out. But the one thing that got their attention is that Jack had glowing white optics behind his visor. The group remained firm as the one leading them gave the order, knowing whom to target.

"All units, focus your fire… on the Prime…"

Soon enough, the Cons on the catwalk fired in the air while the Tankicons fired their shells. The two split up and the projectiles missed them, yet the Cons kept on firing. June quickly got into cover behind a bunch of Cybertronian crates while Jack used his shield to deflect the blaster fire. The Tankicons quickly turned their cannons to him and had their shields set up to protect themselves. Firing at him, the shells reached him and was hoping that they put a stop to him. Rodimus saw this and decided to fight back. Doing a quick spin, he swung his sword in mid air and a bright blue streak came out of it and flew to the rockets. They all connected and flew up on impact, creating a plum of fire and smoke. By the time it exploded, the Tankicons backed up from the blast. When the smoke occurred, Jack jumped through the smoke and was in the air. With his Saber Sword raised, he did a quick slash and the blue energy came out and headed to them. Almost immediately, the Tankicons were sliced through their bodies. Not even their shields would protect them as they were sliced along with the rest of them. In a matter of moments, the Tankicons were cut in half and their both parts of their bodies collapsed on the floor. He was glad that he took care of the batch of heavies, but unfortunately there were more to come.

By the time he took them out, a bunch of Combaticons and Insecticons rushed in and began their assault. The Prime in training got his shield up deflected the punch from on Combaticon that pushed him back. Looking up, he saw two Insecticons approaching him. By the time they flew in their Insect forms they rammed him with his shield up and pushed him further. During the push, Jack's optics glowed and was ready to make a quick strike. He transferred his power onto his shield and made it powerful enough to pushed them back. They flew out of control before transforming and landing on their pedes. They all shrieked right at him and charged back in with their claws drawn. Jack focused his power back to his sword and made an attack back with a quick slice close to them. With two more slices, he split the two Insect monsters in half and they were killed instantly. Just then, he was bombarded by blaster fire from above and had to quickly go back to the defensive. Deploying his shield, he acted it as an umbrella and protected himself from the barrage. June looked to this and knew that her son was in danger. Looking up to see the Vehicons and Airadicons up on the catwalk, she decided to assist him and called him out.

June/Altra: "Jack!"

He turned to see his mother gesturing to the catwalk. Looking up at the Cons, he knew what she is planning and decided to let her join in on the action.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "On my mark! Get ready!"

Altra nodded as she got in position to make her move. Rodimus looked up and checked to see if the group would stop firing as the shield was on the verge of breaking. The cons continued to fire until their blasters overheated, forcing them to cool down completely. Once they were cooling down, Jack saw the opening and told his mom to head to him.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mark!"

With that said, June jumped out of cover and rolled on the floor, transforming midway through and driving to her son's position. The Cons on the catwalk noticed the femme nurse getting out of cover and focused their attention on her.

"The other Autobot is out of cover! Take her out!"

Half the Cons focus fire on the nurse while the other half continued to fire on Rodimus. Altra swerved side by side and as she was racing towards her son with speeds up to over a hundred. By the time she got there, Jack quickly got his shield in position and told her to jump.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hurry, get on my shield!"

Altra heard this and decided to take this risk. Speeding ahead, she immediately transformed back to her bot form and made a mad dash. By the time she was close enough, she jumped and landed on the shield. By the time she did that, he pushed the shield upward and she was pushed up high and was in the air. She soon flew in the air and headed straight to the catwalk where the Cons are. One of them saw this and warned everyone about it.

"The femme is heading to our location! Shoot her down!"

Two of the Cons did that as they aimed at her in the air and fired right at her. The blaster fire flew by her, as she was ready to make the first strike. Going into a fetal position to do a spin in the air, she opened up and deployed her scalpels, pointing them at the two. Reaching the catwalk, she plowed into the two Cons and penetrated their spark chambers, taking them down to the floor and shutting them down completely. When she brought them down, she looked up and removed her scalpels off their chests, getting to a stance for battle.

June/Altra: "The nurse is in…"

The Cons looked to her with a _'seriously'_ look as one of them demanded that they take her down.

"Blast her!"

They all pointed their blasters at her and fired away. Quickly, she used what she learned in those extra training sessions Arcee taught her to avoid the projectiles easily while advancing forward. Getting close enough, she took out one Con after another, slicing their arms or heads in the process. Jack looked up and saw his mother fighting her way through the Cons so easily, all of which surprised him completely.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Wow… Mom is really fighting those Cons off pretty well. Guess all those extra training lessons from Arcee has really paid off. Remind me never to spare with her at the base."

Course, he was temporarily distracted as he was sucker punched right in the face and skidded back to the entrance of the hanger. He quickly recovered from the attack and looked up to see the remaining Combaticons and Insecticons that were still on the main floor. Seeing this, he sighed and went right back to his own battles.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Right… Almost forgot about those guys. Well, let's get this over with."

Cracking his neck for a bit, he got up and armed his shield and sword for a fight. His optics glowed behind the visor and was ready to strike again. The Combaticons did the same too as they charged their prods to increase their damage output. Rodimus charged in and raised his sword high and was ready to strike. As the fight was starting, at the entranceway, John and Elsa peeked out of the corner to see how to battle is holding. Turns out, the two got out of June and Jack and waited outside, knowing that its not safe at the hanger. But they got a front row seat to the action and were amazed of how much they can fight. John was especially shocked by it as he saw Jack taking on the Cons at the ground while June was fighting more on the catwalk.

John Darby: "Holy shit! Are they my wife and son? I barely could tell giving that they're fighting like their friends."

Elsa chuckled and decided to remind him of his past experience.

Elsa de Sica: "I guess it runs in the family now, huh."

John turned to her with a bit of a glare and was a little threatening.

John Darby: "That's enough Elsa. Even though we are a fratelo, that doesn't mean I would back talk you for your little jokes."

She soon heard that and decided to watch.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes sir…"

The two continued to watch as the fight was going to John's family side. But during that time, Elsa rubbed her eyes and thought that she was having trouble seeing. But as she adjusted her eyes, she noticed that she can see far better as her eyes were of a bright blue color instead of her normal ones. That is because her strange abilities are starting to resurface and is telling her trouble was brewing. That's when her sight increased symmetrically and she saw an alcove opened up and a bunch of Vehicons were rushing to the two. Seeing this, she realized that they were in danger.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh no… John, look! More Decepticons are coming and your son and wife are too distracted to notice!"

John heard her and looked to see the Cons heading to their position as well.

John Darby: "Shit! You're right! With my family too preoccupied, they will not see the next assault coming. We need to warn them!"

Elsa looked to the charging group and decided to take matters into her own hands.

Elsa de Sica: "Not likely… If we try to warn them, it will be too late. I must act now."

John looked down and wondered what she's up to.

John Darby: "Wait a second, Elsa. You're not saying you want to fight them? That's suicide! You'll get yourself killed!"

She turned to her handler and told him that she'll be fine.

Elsa de Sica: "True… But I did face Cons before and I survived anything that any opposition threw at me. I think I can take care of myself. Stay here. I'll handle this."

By the time she said that, she got out of safety and rushed to the group with her enhanced speed. John coughed up invisible dust and sighed, knowing that Elsa is being more rambunctious then before.

John Darby: "Crazy girl. Going to get herself into a whole lot of trouble!"

Back to the main fight, the two Autobots were fighting with all that they got. Rodimus was blocking a slash from an Insecticon, looking for an opening. But he was heavily distracted when a Combaticon was charging from the rear. He soon felt that coming and had to get out of the way. So with all his upper strength, he shoved the Insecticon off of him and immediately rolled to the side, causing the Combaticon to collide with Insecticon on impact and rolled together on the floor. During the roll, he used his sword to slice an Insecticon by the side when it was at his position. Then arming his blaster on the arm, fired on two more that were in the distance.

Up on the catwalk, Altra was pushing through, removing the opposition at the top. She quickly avoided the blaster fire with her dodging ability Arcee taught her with a few hitting her armor. When she got close enough to them, she used her scalpels to slice their arms off and kicking a few of them off the catwalk. It was then, that one of the Cons was too close and he was going to strike. June saw this and ducked rolled to avoid his swing. Getting back up in a turn, she shifted her scalpel into a deliberator and shocked him in the back, giving him enough volts to make him pass out. She quickly looked back and saw more Vehicons and Airadicons behind her charging their blasters. Realizing she doesn't have enough cover, she grabbed the shocked Con and used him as a shield. The blasters hit the Con and was badly wounded from the impact, yet the nurse was completely safe. She soon armed her blaster and fired three précised shots at their heads, knocking them off one by one. She soon let go of the damaged Con and kicked him towards the others, knocking them down in the process. She soon ran to the remainder of the group and fired with both blasters while avoiding more blaster shots in the process.

But while the two were fighting them off, they were pretty much easily distracted. Not far from them, more Vehicons were in sniping position as they armed their blasters and waited for an attempted strike. Once they were aiming, one of them gave the others the orders.

"Steady men… Do not fire until they are in range. We will take them out quite easily."

The group waited for the right moment to fire as their cross hairs were on them. The one leading them raised a servo up and waited for the right moment to fire.

"Wait for it… Wait for it…"

Once they finally got their sights set on them, he told them to open fire.

"Now! Take them out!"

Just as he said that, a stray shot came out of the blue and hit him right to the head, shutting him down instantly. The others looked to the metal corpse and stood there in silent, wondering what happened. Turning to the direction of the shot, they could see a young human girl, but with a Cybertronian like blaster connected to her arm and a threatening look to boot. That girl was Elsa de Sica as she made it in time before they had the chance of a surprise attack.

Elsa de Sica: "No one harms my family…"

The group was completely silent and didn't know how to approach this. That's when one of them decided to take command and told them to attack her instead.

"Forget about the Autobots! Focus your attention on that human brat!"

They immediately went to the girl and fired away on her. She saw this and immediately dodged the blasters with her inhuman abilities and quick thinking. She soon decided to reach higher ground and went up one of the stacked crates to get a head's up advantage. She soon fired on the crates and held her ground while the Cons shot back at her. She soon ran and jumped on the crates when she was getting overwhelmed and tried it at a different angel. As she and they were firing, one stray shot hit a crate and it was forced open, spilling out energon cubes in the process. One of them saw this and warned the others about it.

"Everyone check your fire! Hit one of those energon cubes and we'll be blown to bits!"

Elsa heard that and noticed the energon cubes close to her position. This would give her the perfect opportunity to take out these Cons. But being close to them, she can't get caught by the blast. So, she decided to take matters into her own hands by getting herself into position and ran to the edge of the crate and jumped off it. With her enhanced abilities, she jumped high in the air and was upside down. Aiming aim in that position, she charged her blaster and fired a powerful shot at the energon cubes, blowing them up on contact. This caused a chain reaction and destroyed the part of the hanger and sent the Cons flying away from the blast.

At the same time, Jack and June were holding their own and fighting the Cons on the ground and catwalk with what they have. But suddenly, they all stopped what they were doing as they heard the explosion and felt the floor shaking. They soon turned to see a plume of blue flames and smoke and were shocked that that happened unexpectedly. One of the Combaticons saw this and uttered a few primitive words.

"Huge boom…"

Jack caught this distraction and used it as his advantage to take him out. Getting his sword out, he jut it forward and pierced him from the back to the chest, right through the spark chamber. With him dead, he retracted his sword out and wasn't impressed.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hmph… Looks like the Combaticon has gained some form of intelligence. Could be a good thing…"

He soon saw more Insecticons approaching him in their bug forms and blasted him with their horn blasters. Seeing this, he decided to finish it all off. He got into position while using the shield to block off the shots. With his sword out, it and his eyes glowed blue, as he was about to finish them off with a crushing blow. Once it was fully charged, he did a quick spin and with one swipe, have a wave of sharp energy heading straight to the two Insecticons. That said swipe connected to them and split them in half, collapsing on the floor. Then came the last Combaticon that charged towards him with his fist tight and his prods fully charged. Seeing this, he got his shield out and blocked the heavy punch, forcing him to drag his feet through the floor. By the time he recovered, he immediately avoids each strike when the brute went on the assault. By the time he got an opening, Rodimus ducked down and thrust his sword forward, right through the chest plate. That immediately killed him and his visor darkened completely. By the time his body went limp, Jack removed his sword and let the body fall to the floor.

Up on the catwalk, around that time, the remaining Cons and was curious of what happened out there.

"Holy Scrap! That was some crazy explosion! Was that our additional reserves?"

The other one looked on and realized that he was right.

"Sure was? They were supposed to be in charge of our surprise attack. The frag happened?"

By the time he asked that, a stray shot him in the side of his head and shut him down completely. The others turned to see that and looked up to see Altra standing there with her blaster smoking.

June/Altra: "My guess, they failed horribly."

Almost immediately, they got their blasters up and fired back at her. She ducked down and made a quick roll to transform and sped up to them. During that speed, she knocked them off their pedes and were flying for a few short seconds. That gave her time to transform and was on her back, firing both of her blasters to hit them all in their chests. Once they landed limply on the catwalk and in between, she did a quick handstand backward and was right back on her pedes. By then, she thought she got everyone under control. That was until, she missed on Airadicon as it charged in with his sharp digits raised for an attempted strike. The nurse nearly felt that as she turned and backed up, avoiding the strike. Getting her scalpels out, she quickly went to the defensive and blocked the remaining slashing attempts. But those attacks were too fast and she needs to find a way to keeping him from striking her. Almost immediately, they both clashed as sparks came out of their weapons. The Con looked pleased to take her out and has a sadistic sound to his voice.

"Pretty gutsy moves for some medical nurse. The Autobots taught you well. Why don't I teach you a few moves of my own?"

June was disgusted about that and noticed a way to take him down.

June/Altra: "I don't think my husband would be happy about it!"

That's when she delivered quite a head butt and dazed both her and the Airadicon completely. She quickly recovered and jumped high enough to deploy her blasters to hit the two sides of the catwalk. Those sides snapped and broke the catwalk, causing one part to slant downwards and caused the Con to slide off it. The nurse then landed on the slant and slid down it too, pointing her blasters at him and firing away. By the time he landed hard on the floor with scorch marks on him, she decided to finish him off and switched to her blades. Jumping down, she rocketed to him with a foot out and delivered a switch stomp. Then with a quick slice, cut his head clean off and took him out very easily. Once she got up, she felt very pleased with her performance.

June/Altra: "Wow… Guess all those private lessons with Arcee really paid off."

She soon heard her son from the distance as he was rushing to her with his faceplate and visor opened to reveal his face.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom! Are you okay?"

She turned to see him heading to her and told him that she's fine.

June/Altra: "I'm good. Just my first actual fight with Cons. Didn't think it was that aggressive."

Jack raised an optic ridge and was shocked by that.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "That aggressive? Mom! You were fighting like a professional! Never thought you learn fast during those combat practices."

June chuckled and told her son that it was nothing.

June/Altra: "Don't be so modest, Jack. I learn fast, whether it's in the hospital, or in a battlefield. I know how to take care of myself."

Jack rolled his optics around and hopes she doesn't want to fight her in practice. As he tries to get that image out of his head, he turned to call his father and Elsa out.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Okay you two, the area is secured. You can come out now!"

By the time he said it, John came out of the entryway of the hanger and approached the two with a bit of amazement and shock.

John Darby: "You know, after watching all that, I never thought that you will live this life like this!"

Jack laughed a little bit and told him that it's now normal.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Oh… We get use to it now, since we can't go back to the way things are."

He soon notices that Elsa wasn't around and asked about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Um… Where's Elsa? She should be with you."

John was a little hesitant as he tried to explain it.

John Darby: "Yeah… Funny story. You see…"

By then, they heard the sound of rumbling behind and the three turned to see the fire aftermath and a Vehicon that was badly damage with his blaster slowly pointing to them. Both Rodimus and Altra got in front of John and pointed their blasters to him.

"You dirty Autobots. You think you can make an escape? Guess again! You will be defeated and your prisoners will be-"

Before he could actually said something, there was a shot through the spark chamber and shuts him down. The two blinked as the body fall limply to the side. That's when they could see Elsa with her blaster arm that aimed to the Con's back before. As soon as he was dead, she reverted the blaster back into her hand and was a little cocky of this.

Elsa de Sica: "Are we done here?"

She soon approached the three and they were shocked by it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Elsa? What are you doing over there? I thought I told you to stay with dad."

Elsa shrugged a little, and explained about it.

Elsa de Sica: "I was… But these Cons here were planning an ambush and were going to shoot the two of you while you were busy. Had to intervene before they got a chance. If I didn't, well, then the whole escape would've been scorched."

Jack and June listened to her and could tell that her heart was on the right place. It's just that it was too risky for her to pull something like that off.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "That's all well and good. But give us a little warning next time you try to pull something like that off. The last thing we want is to get killed by the blast that you caused."

Elsa gave a simple nod and understood it.

Elsa de Sica: "I got it."

John though came between the two family members of his and decided that they should leave.

John Darby: "Looks, as much as I would like to discuss about all of this, should we worry about getting out of this ship first? You know, before those Cons decided to bring in reinforcements?"

Jack heard that and decided that they should leave. Since they made it this far, they cannot stop until they are bridged back to base. Getting his digit to his audio receptor, he contacted the base and told them that they are almost out.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Rodimus to base, we are now at the hanger and are preparing to leave. When we get outside, be ready to arm the ground bridge quick."

He waited for a response, but didn't hear anything but static. So he tried again.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Rodimus to base, come in. I didn't hear you. Respond."

Still static… Jack looked to his mother and could tell that something isn't right.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "We got a problem. No word from Ratchet or Firewall. Got a bad feeling about this."

By the time he said it, the door to the hanger opened up automatically and no one wasn't on the controls. They all turned to see what's going to be on the other side, if there were more reinforcements. Turns out there were reinforcements, but just one Con. And not just any Con, it was Soundwave who flew up to the Nemesis to handle the intruders himself. They all stood there as Elsa mustered something to Jack.

Elsa de Sica: "Jack… I think I found your problem."

* * *

 **So ends chapter thirteen on a cliffhanger. Yes, this is a cliffhanger. I would like to add more, but then this chapter would get too long and there's a certain chapter that would finish it up, but would be shorter then I would've envisioned. Rest assure, the second part of this finally will come, eventually. You all just need to wait, because I got a ton of surprises in store for you. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	14. Soundwave

**Before I could begin this chapter of the story, tragic news I would like to share. By the time I wrote this paragraph, Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Multi Platinum band, Linkin Park, died at the age of forty one on July 20th, 2017 and left behind a family of six. The cause of death is an apparent tragic suicide and is linked to when Chris Cornell, the lead singer for both Soundgarden and Audioslave, died the same way _(On my own thoughts)_ and Chester's death happened on what was suppose to be Cornell's birthday. The saddest part of it all is they released their newest album, _'One More Light'_ two months before his death and when I heard of his death, I bought what is potentially their final album a few days after and by the time of writing this, listened to all of their albums just in his memory.**

 **Now from what you saw on my profile on Fanfiction, Linkin Park is, and always my third favorite band to listen to with Korn being first and Limp Bizkit being second. I always like their music and have a lot of personal favorites in my I-Pod playlist. This does include certain tracks that are related with the Transformes movies, including the New Divine, which should've been in one of the albums from the start. Hearing the news of his death was quite a shock, even considering that some of the lyrics of their tracks do have a message of leaving those close to you. And hearing that he had some personal demons of his past and combining with the death of Cornell, which I didn't know until listening to the whole story, would led to this sudden suicide. I feel sorry for his family, band mates, and friends that lost a great musician too soon.**

 **Now what's the future of Linkin Park now? Well this is a trying time for them, as they have to cancel their tour this year since they can't play without Chester. But there is a good theory of what is going to happen after the next few years. See, artists such of Kurt Cobain, Prince, and Michael Jackson who passed away an early ages, have a huge collection of unreleased tracks that no one have heard of and were released on the few rare occasions. This does include Linkin Park as they have unreleased tracks that they didn't put in their albums and Chester did have some lyrics he sang but no music was added. I say that in a few years, they will have a tribute album in honoring Chester and would release those tracks, maybe set up a tribute tour with bands honoring Linkin Park and Chester. Course these are my personal thoughts and believe it's too soon thinking about it. It just that we lost a great man and imaginative musician and we all need to remember him for what he did for the music community. Rest in Peace Chester, you will be missed.**

 **Chester Bennington  
1976 – 2017**

 **On the last chapter, it was incredibly improved from the previous one. Course I got six hits and the occasional guests nagging me to update, but the hit counter was up to over a 1,000 hits. A freakin' thousand! Wow! That is something I didn't expect at all. I mean, who would've thought that a long wait would lead to positive results. I mean, I never thought of it myself but damn, you guys were really patient. Guess it was the action scenes that got them interested. Whatever the case, I'm glad many people haven't forgotten me. Let's see if this chapter will wet their whistle.**

 **On this chapter of this fourth episode of Prime, things are getting worse for Team Prime as they are in horrendous trouble. While the team was holding on against the Cons, Jack and Altra have to face the most dangerous of them all, Soundwave. Will they be able to beat him and make an escape? Or will they fail and have Starscream get what he wanted. This is one chapter you will not miss out on.**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **Now to be fair, I was planning for this to be the chapter before the last one. However, due to my continuous creativity and actions scenes, I sort of made the chapter longer then expected. I mean serious, it was fifty pages long and I realized I was going through with the Teen Matrix 2 phase where I made incredibly long chapters that drove my readers off that story. So in an attempt to get people from waiting, I split this chapter into two parts, the first one being this chapter while the second would be the blow off chapter before the last one. I apologize for this long enough wait and hope that something like this won't happen again. And that's a BIG hope mind you.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girls**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Soundwave

Returning to the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans theme park, the battle was getting fierce as the Autobots were handling the back up Starscream has ordered. On the ground, Arcee was having a feud with Knockout as they were trying to outwit each other with their weaponry. The Decepticon medic used his saw to swing around to cut the femme up. Cee managed to avoid them by bending in all directions. She soon bended way back and used her momentum to kick his arm off and gave him some pain. He stepped back and felt his arm, trying to get some feeling back. The two-wheeler quickly did a handstand before getting back up and rushing to his position. Getting her arms crossed, she deployed her blades and jumped for a spin in mid air. Knockout saw this and decided to side step to avoid her fury. She missed him completely and landed on the ground with one knee, trying to figure out how to stop him. Turning back, she got caught by surprise when the medic had his drill rushing to her face. Getting her arm out, she blocked the strike with the blade side and sparks were flying on contact. He was feeling really coy when he made a sick remark.

Knockout: "Such a beautiful femme. A shame that I would have to pierce holes into you."

Cee gritted her teeth and didn't like where that was going.

Arcee: "Don't give your hopes up. And for your information, I'm taken."

With a forceful push, she turned to let the medic miss her and made him pierce the ground with the drill. It was so deep, that he wouldn't get it out. This gave Cee the opportunity she needs as she jumped her pede on his arm and delivered a low roundhouse kick to his faceplate, knocking him down temporarily and freeing his drill accidentally. Landing on the ground behind him, she turned and did a quick stance to see what his next move is. Getting up, he was fuming and decided to go to the heavy offensive and charged towards her with his drill. She soon got to the defensive and used her blades to block each strike. The two clashed with their weapons as sparks came out on impact. She even tries to retaliate with kicks to the chest plate back, but it wouldn't slow him down. Even he used his drill to disable her feet, but she swerved them in order to avoid those strikes. They were pretty much even with their moves and weapons and there was no stopping them.

Not far from them, Bulkhead was battling the Combaticon and was having his own fun. With the Forge of Solus Prime, he swung to the enemy while the heavy used his fist to collide with the hammer. Both of which caused a shock wave that nearly shook the foundations of the defunct rides and buildings. The heavy both backed up and took a breather as the Wrecker was trying to find a good enough opening.

Bulkhead: "Got enough big guy?"

The Combaticon groaned in hate as he charged his prods again for another go. Seeing this, Bulk sighed and didn't like that reaction.

Bulkhead: "Obviously… This Con doesn't give up without a fight, huh?"

He soon tightens the handle of the hammer and was ready to end it all. He was going to charge in until he heard the sound of a portal opening from behind. He turned around and was caught by surprise by an Insecticon ramming him to the chest and pushing him completely. That said attack caused him to let go of the hammer as it dropped on the floor. The Insecticon soon transformed and grabbed the Wrecker by the head and swung him around until it let go. Bulk was soon flying and crashed right into a concession stand that had seen better days. Feeling incredibly dazed by the attack, he shook it off and looked to see both the Insecticon and the Combaticon in front of him with the heavy pounding its fist and was eager to kill him.

"Not tough…"

The Insecticon responded with a shriek to the Autobot. Bulkhead looked to this and didn't like where this was going. Without the forge hammer, he can't fight back completely. Yet, he will continue to fight as he slowly got up and was prepared for this.

Bulkhead: "Don't knock a Wrecker down if you think they're not tough. Because frag it, we're slagging tough!"

He soon shifted his servos into his personal wrecking balls and pounded them, charging in to begin the next assault.

With Miko and Wheeljack, they were holding their own against an army of Combaticons as they were using their weapons to slaughter them. With his katanas in hand he avoided one punch from a Combaticon and got behind him to slice one of the prods on his back. Then kicking him in the back and pushed him away before he could explode. Then, based on senses, he jumped up and kicked another rushing Con to the chest, pushing him in the process. With a flip in midair, he tossed both his Katanas to them and armed his blasters to fire right at him. Those Katanas pierced the Combaticon in the spark chamber while the projectiles shot him in the head. As soon as he did that, he fell and went upside down, avoiding a shot of a Tankicon in the process. Landing on the heavy by his hand, he quickly grabbed him by the head and a quick twist upside down, he crack his neck on the other side and in results, he killed him and landed on the floor with the Tankicon starting to fall to the floor incredibly limp. A few more projectiles flew over him and missed him completely. He turned to the direction of the shots and saw more Tankicons firing at him. Seeing, he needed to fight back and as his swords still implanted to the dead Combaticon and had to strike as fast as possible. Getting his grenade out, he armed it and tossed it right to the Tankicons. It exploded and spread flames on them, but the shielding they have protected them from the blast. But this gave him time to react and rushed to the body to take out his swords from the chest. Getting into position, he waited until something happened.

Meanwhile, the Tankicons waited for the flames to disbursed and continue to attack. As they were waiting, they were all pushed off their pedes and flew through the flames, catching them off guard completely. Once they were flew the flames, Jackie saw them completely out in the open. With that opportunity, he quickly used his swords to slice them in the center, cutting them in half. As he was done, he looked to the fading flames and saw Kaosu standing there with two armed sonic cannons she used and a glee on her face. The Wrecker smirked too and gave her a quick salute.

Wheeljack: "Thanks for the assist cadet. You really got a bright future ahead for the Wreckers."

Miko heard him and couldn't help but to feel happy about it. She soon looked back and saw more Combaticons approaching her position to fight. Looking back, she decided to show him more of her work.

Miko/Kaosu: "You think that was awesome? Check this out!"

Turning back to the opposing forces, she switched her sonic cannons to her hammers and charged right to them. By the time there were close enough, the Combaticons started to charge their prods and increase their damaged to knock her out. Miko did the same with her hammers and wind back for a hit. Once both combat weapons collide, that created a plum of energy, pushing them all back. The Wrecking cadet was in the air, but she got an opportunity in getting rid of them. Arming her cannons, she fired her rockets to them and blew up two of them to the chest and killing them on impact. The other Cons landed back on the ground and kept their footing, ready for round two. Miko landed too and rolled backwards to transform, going full throttle and speeding to the first Con to the left. The brute saw this and decided to rush to her again with an attempt to kill. Miko could see this and decided to do a little bait and switch.

Miko/Kaosu: "That's it… Come at me, brah… I'll give you a fight."

The two got close to each other as the Combaticon wind back to deliver a pound to apply the breaks on her. Once she saw that, she give him a complete swerve and started to drift to a stop. Doing so caused her to trip the Con and dropped him to the ground face first. She soon transformed back and fired her shoulder-mounted rockets to the prods, blowing them up along with the enemy. Just then, the other Combaticon saw all of this and decided to give her a major beat down. Miko turned to him and was ready for it, arming her hammers and the two clashed with fists and hammers. Each hit was harder then the next as they were pounding each other as much as possible. Kaosu smashed the Combaticon with a charged hammer hit to the head, causing him to stagger for a bit. Keeping himself steady, he charged his prods to the back and delivered a punch of his own, hitting her in the face and pushed her back to a nearby restroom smashing through it like it was a table in a wrestling match. The Wrecking cadet groaned for a little bit while the Combaticon decided to finish it off. Rushing to her, he fully charged the prods and was ready for a killing blow. But Miko recovered and decided to finish it. The moment he got close to raise his fist to her, she tricked him by arming one of her sonic cannons and blew him off the ground with a huge sound blast. This caused him to fly and crashed right through a part of the roller coaster pillar, bringing part of the coaster on top of him. When that battle was over, Miko slowly got up and out of the remains of the rest room area, covered in sludge and sewage waste. Sniffing it, she turned her head away and was a little disgusted of where she was.

Miko/Kaosu: "Eww… Total barfville! I hope no one uses the bathroom when the park was abandoned."

Wheeljack approached her and checked on her.

Wheeljack: "Kid? You're cool?"

The cadet looked to him and was a little unease.

Miko/Kaosu: "Besides a desperate need of a car wash, I'll manage."

Jackie nodded with a smile and got back on track.

Wheeljack: "Good. Because we have a long way ahead for us."

They both turned to see more Combaticons and Tankicons around them and were about ready for a serious bout. Seeing this, Miko armed her hammers while Jackie got his sword in one hand while taking out his Polarity Gauntlet with the other.

Miko/Kaosu: "Man, I'm getting tired of these Cons up in our business. How many more of these creeps are there?"

The Wrecker looked to this as well and grunted to himself.

Wheeljack: "From what you said at Darkmount, enough to last. Which makes it fun for us to fight back. Let's wreck them up!"

The two charged in two directions and would hit them with everything they got.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee was having his own problems with Combaticons surrounding him. He was punching one of them in the chest before jumping to deliver a double kick to his chin. Soaring in the air and going upside down, he flew to the other one and using his feet to push him back. Landing on the ground, he armed his blasters on both arms and pointed them in two different directions, firing at both opponents and destroying their spark chambers. As he did that, another Con came up from behind him and gave the scout a bear hug, making it impossible for him to escape. Looking to the front, he could see the other Combaticon approaching him and punching him on the faceplate. After a couple of whacks, Bee looked to him with furious optics and decided that enough is enough. Lifting his legs up, he delivered a pushing hit to the enemy and he staggered away from him. This in turn caused Bee to push himself back and letting the Con holding him to fall to the floor. Landing on the backside, Bee managed to free himself and rolled back up. He soon pointed his blasters and the Con that punched him and fired at his head, knocking it clean off and made him drop to the floor with a bit of payback in his processor. He soon got his blaster to the other Con that was down and shot him in the head as well before he could get up. This time, he looked behind and saw two more Combaticons approaching him, but they were in their Tanker modes, speeding towards him. Seeing this, he ran and jumps to transform into his Cameo mode to speed away from the two. The two Cons gave chase and are willing to run him over while the bot was driving away from them. He needs to find a way to get them off his rear end and he has to think of it fast. Checking around, he spotted what looked like a dilapidated funhouse with rotting wood and peeled away paint. Seeing this, he decided to use it to his advantage. He soon turned to the funhouse and the Cons followed suit. When they got there, Bee was getting closer to the attraction and was ready to execute his plan. Transforming, he made a mad dash and was getting closer. The two Combaticons looked on and thought that he lost it in transforming in a speed chase. But they got the advantage and decided to speed up faster. When he got to the funhouse, the scout jumped up and placed his pedes to the dilapidated wood with the two tankers just inches from him. Jumping up and over them, the Combaticons never had the time to react as they crashed through the funhouse and exploded from the inside of the place. Bee flew away as he landed down on his pedes and with one knee down; he watched the remains of the funhouse burning away. Turning around, he could see more Combaticons surrounding him. He sighed and could tell that it was going to be a long fight.

Bumblebee: _**(Slag it… Would've been better of with a Relic on me and not getting overwhelmed. Looks like I better work with what I got so far.)**_

He soon got into a quick stance before transforming and speeding to them. The Combaticons saw this and ran to the fast moving Cameo. Once Bumblebee hit a ramp that was a turned over employee cart, he flew in the air and transformed, getting his fists to pound while the Combaticons raise their fists up to deliver a devastating blow.

Meanwhile, Smokescreen was driving on the coaster track with many silver Airadicons flying around him. Thankfully, most of the track didn't collapse and he was in the clear. But that doesn't mean that the Cons are done with him. They fired their missiles at him and they soar to his position. He drove pretty fast as the rockets missed him, only to blow up around him. Taking a turn and drift through the twisted corners, he need to get off this ride to focus on the Decepticons in the air. Looking on, he could see the hill for coasters to gain altitude before making the dive. Looking on, he decided to take it and sped up. The Cons saw him heading to that said hill and used it as an advantage to take them out. So they focused their attention of that said hill and fired more of their missiles. Each rocket hit part of the wooden structure while the former Elite Guard member took to the hill. Around that time, the wood started to burn and break apart, causing the hill to wobble so violently. Ultimately, the hill started to break apart and was beginning to fall. Smoke felt that and went to maximum overdrive to reach the top. By the time he reached the top, he drove off it and was in the air, while the coaster hill fell and crashed into the ground, burying a bunch of Cons the Autobots are facing in the process. Now in the air, the car flew and transformed. Soaring through the air while arming his blasters to fire in random directions. Some of the shots he managed to hit, as the Airadicons got shot by the wings who flew down and out of control, crashing in the process. Soon, he was plummeting too and had little time in escaping it. Pretty soon, he saw a silver Airadicon approaching him and decided to hitch a ride. With the Con flying over him, he reached up and grabbed the wing in the process, saving himself from falling to inevitable doom. With a quick swing, he flipped up to the top of the jet and was acting like a surfer again, trying to gain some balance while shooting away. Looking down though, he saw what looks like Optimus holding his own with his blade cutting through the Cons while using the Phase Shifter to let the Cons miss him. Looking down, he knew that he's holding his own pretty well. Unfortunately, he also noticed more portals opening up and a bunch of Tankicons came out in their tank modes and could tell that it wasn't good. Seeing this, he decided to help him and pointed his blaster at the cockpit, demanding that the Con takes him down.

Smokescreen: "You there. Take me to Optimus, now!"

The Airadicon mentally shook and said the one answer that he will always say.

"Go frag yourself, Autobot!"

Smokescreen heard this and decided to put matters into his own hands.

Smokescreen: "Suit yourself…"

He soon took aim at one of the thrusters and fired at it. The thruster soon exploded and spewed flames and smoke. This caused the Con to loose control and was going to crash. Seeing this, the Elite Guard member decided to pilot the tip of the enemy's cockpit nose and maneuvered it to get to Optimus's side.

At the same time, Optimus was holding his own and was using his skills and the relic to remove any and every Con that gets near him. With a slice here, a phase there, and everything in between, he managed to get the battle on his side. But sadly, he wasn't even aware of what's going to happen next. Not too far from him, the Tankicons were gathering in their vehicle forms, arming up their cannons to take out the Prime. A lone Vehicon looked on from the distance to see the Prime holding his own. But that will soon change as he smirked behind his faceplate.

"Foolish Prime… Just because he has a relic that can phase through things doesn't mean it will last for long. All right, boys! Let's give him something he can't fight back! Take aim at the Prime and wait for my signal."

The Tankicons slowly aimed their cannons to the Prime and waited for the right moment to open fire. During that time, the Vehicon waited until it was time.

"Steady mechs… Don't fire until you get a good enough shot."

They waited for the right moment to fire, unknowingly realizing what's really going to come at him. The Vehicon lifted his servo up and realized that it was time to act.

"And…"

But before he could even say it, he heard another voice from above.

Smokescreen: "Bombs away!"

The Vehicon looked up at the sound of the voice and saw Smokescreen up there with him riding a Vehicon that was badly damaged. By the time he got close, he decided to disembark and jumped off it with a flip. The Airadicon was hurtling towards the group of Tankicons while the Vehicon muttered his final word.

"Frag…"

That soon let to the jet colliding with him before the two hit one of the Tankicons and exploded on impact. That created a plume of flames that caught all the tanks on fire and miscued their view. Optimus heard that explosion after taking out all of the Vehicons and turned to see the fire right in front of him. As he wondered what just happened, he saw a bot landing on the floor with complete grace. That bot was Smokescreen as he turned to the leader with a sheer grin.

Smokescreen: "Need a servo, Optimus."

Prime saw this and was surprised by the fact that Smokescreen came in uneventfully and saved him for something that was about to happen. By then, they noticed that the jets that were after Smokescreen flew to them and surrounded them. They immediately transformed and landed on the ground, surrounding the two completely. The two stood there back to back and could tell that this fight is getting worse.

Smokescreen: "Well, this mission has become worse and worse. I just hope Jack and June managed to get those prisoners out of the ship."

Optimus looked to him from behind and told him that everything is getting taken care of.

Optimus: "Regardless of how this mission has went, I have high hopes that young Rodimus will succeed in getting his father and Elsa out in time."

The group quickly aimed their blasters to them and were ready to fire. Smoke saw this and hope for the best.

Smokescreen: "Let's hope it's soon. I don't want to be in this predicament for so long."

* * *

Unfortunately for the team, Rodimus and Altra have some serious problems of their own. They are at the hanger bay and were about to make their leave to the outside and bridge to the base. But now they got to a roadblock in the way. That said blockade was Soundwave as it stood there blocking their exit. June stood there and was shocked by his appearance.

June/Altra: "Oh dear… Jack…?"

Rodimus nodded and knew what they were up against.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I see him mom, and I don't like it."

John and Elsa looked to him and they too knew what he was.

John Darby: "That's the Con that showed me what happened to you guys! I got the feeling he's not going to let us out."

Jack decided to not let his father and Elsa get involved and turned to them for an order.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad, get to safety! This won't be an easy opponent to get through."

John looked up to his son and nodded in understanding. Turning to Elsa, he grabbed her by the hand and told her to go.

John Darby: "C'mon, Elsa! Let's get out of here and find someplace safe!"

Elsa turned to him and protested.

Elsa de Sica: "But I should help them out!"

John though rejected her order and told her to follow him.

John Darby: "That's nice and all, but I don't think that is in your league. Let's get out of here!"

On instinct, he ran and pulled Elsa by the arm, trying to get away as fast as possible. As they were leaving, both Jack and June got into a stance and was ready to take Soundwave on. The Intelligence officer just stood there and hadn't budged an inch since the door opened. Altra turned to her son and asked of the plan.

June/Altra: "So… What's the plan in taking this Con down?"

Jack starred Soundwave down and wished he knew how.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Don't know… When Raf fought Soundwave back at Darkmount, he couldn't find the right game plan in taking him on. Soundwave's moves are unpredictable and can always find a solution to any problem. Our best option is to keep our guard up and find an opening necessary to take him out. And I hope that we don't get tricked by this sick genius."

June heard this and nodded in nervousness.

June/Altra: "Right… Of course… Just try not to get hurt from him."

The two stood their ground and waited for the right moment to strike. Meanwhile, Soundwave stood there and was calculating how to approach these two. But peering to his side, he could see John and Elsa making a break for it. Knowing that he can't let them leave, he deployed Laserbeak from his chest plate and it flew to the two. The metal bird whizzed passed the Autobot Darby's and the nurse turned to see it heading towards them.

June/Altra: "Oh no… John!"

Rodimus turned to her and realized that she was getting distracted.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom! Wait! Don't get distracted! That's what Soundwave does!"

Altra turned to her son and wondered what he meant by that.

June/Altra: "Huh…?"

Before she understood the error she had made, Soundwave came out of the blue and delivered a swift punch to her face, knocking her out temporarily. Jack witnessed the whole thing in slow motion and was beginning to get angry over it. Deploying his Star Saber sword, he closed off his face and charged in to strike the Intelligence officer hard. The Con soon turned to him and lifted his arm up to block the attack quite easily. The Prime in training was shocked to see that he could block off the attack with his thin arm. Pulling back, he struck low, only to have Soundwave blocking the next attack with his other arm. Rodimus continued to use his sword strikes in any way he could while the Decepticon kept blocking them over and over.

As the fight went on, Altra was starting to recover and slowly getting up, rubbing the side of her face where the punch took place. Looking up, she could see her son fighting the Intel officer by himself. Realizing he was in danger, she stood up and deployed her scalpels to aid Jack in the fight. She soon charged in to begin the attack.

Back to Rodimus, he was still attacking the Con with his sword as best as he could, but his attacks get blocked off, as if Soundwave knew where he was attacking. He soon raised his sword to strike it down to the head, hoping to cut him in the middle. Soundwave blocked it off and held on for a few seconds while sparks came out of the impact. As they held each other's ground for a while, Soundwave peaked back and noticed the nurse recovering and charging to his backside. Knowing this, he decided to handle the one he's fighting first before moving on to the next. To which, he used his Resonance Blaster on his free arm to point at his chest and fired a blast of sound waves to him. Jack was caught off guard and was pushed back to the wall, nearly unconscious in the process. Once he was done, he turned in time to see June right at him with her blades ready to attack. The intelligence officer dodged her charge quickly to avoid the attack, as the nurse stumbled a little after missing him. She quickly turned around and saw the Con striking back with his sharp digits. Altra blocked it off with her blade and pushed him off of her. She soon uses her quick moves to cut him up, but he avoided them with ease with his agile body. He then decided to stop her by deploying his cables out of his sides and grabbed her by the feet. That soon tripped her as she fell on her back, before they dragged her along the floor. The cables soon lifted her up and she was upside down with the ends latched on to her legs. He soon charged up his cables and gave the nurse a complete shock in the process. She screamed in pain as she could feel the electricity coursing through her body. Knowing she can take it, she pointed her blasters to him and fired. The shots only missed him and she was at a far distance to him. She was soon shocked again and couldn't take the torture anymore. So she moved on to the next plan. Getting her deliberators out, she rubbed them for an extra charge and lifted her upper body up to give Soundwave's cables a charge. That surge of electricity spread from the cables to him and he was shocked by the after effects. So much so that he left go of the nurse and she was falling to the floor. She was caught off guard by this but managed to recover by twisting her body and landed on the ground by her pedes. Looking up, she could see the Con a little dazed and was pleased with her work.

June/Altra: "What's the matter? Didn't like the taste of your own medicine?"

The Intel officer looked up to her, and even though he has a visor on his face, he was extremely furious. With that said, he got his Blaster out and fired a pulse wave at her. She quickly rolled to a avoid that hit while transforming to drive away from the blasts. Soundwave continued to fire, hoping to hit her with his blasts. As she was getting away, Rodimus recovered and saw his mother getting attacked. Seeing this, he got up and got both his sword and shield up to charge in for an attack while he's busy. The Intelligence officer kept on using his blaster to fire wave after wave on her and at the same time, she avoids it easily. As he was busy, his mental radar detected that the future Prime coming from behind, with his visor on and the ground bridge location is set, he set it to the one place that can solve both of his problems. At the same time, Jack was close enough and jumps to deliver a crushing blow. But then, a green and blue portal opened up behind Soundwave and Rodimus went through it. Meanwhile, June thought that she had everything under control. But suddenly, the ground bridge opened up in front of her and Rodimus came out of it. Both are in a panic as they collided into each other, rolling on the floor. June transformed during the roll as they lay out on the floor. Jack looked to her and apologized of what happened.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Sorry mom… Guess Soundwave pulled a fast one on me."

June sighed and thought that.

June/Altra: "Guess that explains why that portal opened up and you came out of it. And to think I was just this close in grounding you for life for hitting your own mother."

Jack heard that and was white in the face behind his mask and his visor.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Wait… What?!"

Before there could be an argument, they were immediately pushed back by the wave pulse and skidded up to a stop. They soon look up to see Soundwave standing there with a lot of confidence on his face. The nurse saw this and realized that they were in more trouble then before.

June/Altra: "You were right about him, Jack. This Con is so unpredictable! What are we to do with him?"

Jack starred him down and decided to go all out.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Wish I knew. But if we are to get out of this ship, we need to defeat him with everything we got. Follow my lead!"

He soon charged in for another go at him. June though sighed and didn't like where this was going.

June/Altra: "Oh Jack, why do you have to be so rough…?"

She soon followed him and hope that things don't go downhill from there.

Meanwhile, John and Elsa were running to safety as fast as their legs can. But what they didn't know is that they were being followed. Elsa felt that through these bizarre abilities she's been gaining and turned back to see what it is. Turning back, she could see Laserbeak following them again and warned John about it.

Elsa de Sica: "John! We have a problem!"

The Darby heard that and looked back to see the Minicon that was chasing them. Recognizing what it is, he cussed and knows that it was bad.

John Darby: "Shit! It's the same bird bot that attacked us before. This is just perfect! Can this get any worse?"

By the time he said that, he buckled from the run and got down on his knee feeling the pain. Elsa stopped and checked on him, noticing that he was rubbing the brace on his right knee.

John Darby: "Damn it! My right knee buckled again! Dr. Bianchi was right… I would've used one of those damn cybernetic legs as a crutch."

Elsa could tell that things have gotten grave and need to aid him in some way. Looking back to see Laserbeak getting closer, she decided to protect him no matter what. Looking to her hand, it shifted into a Cybertronian blaster underneath the human skin and charged it up to attack. Pointing to Laserbeak, she fired at it with a three second burst each round. The Minicon immediately flew away to avoid the shots and didn't expect that to happen. Once it was away, Elsa turned to John and told him to hide.

Elsa de Sica: "Find someplace to hide! I'll hold this thing off for as long as I can!"

John looked up to her and thought that she was completely crazy. But giving the situation that they're in; he decided to listen to her for once.

John Darby: "Be careful, fratelo."

Slowly getting up, he started to limp his way to a hiding place close by. As he was leaving, Elsa starred down at Laserbeak getting around for another attack and was ready for it.

Elsa de Sica: "Alright you birdbrain… Let's see if you can keep up with me."

The Minicon started to soar down to the girl and fired its mini blasters at her. She soon turned around and ran as the trail of projectiles followed her. She ran straight to a stack of crates and jumped on to the side of it. Running up to the top of the stack, she jumped off it and was in the air. She soon aimed her blaster at the top for the Con and fired away. The metal bird was bombarded from above as a few hit it. Yet it remained intact and flew up to go after her. She twisted her back and landed on the catwalk that Altra was once on. She soon fired her blaster to the bird and was using all of her power to chip it off the sky. Laserbeak swerved to the right side as avoided the projectiles as much as it could. By the time it flew up high, it dived down to continuously fire away. She ducked down to avoid the blaster shots as it flew over her. Turning around, Elsa fired again and tried to strike from the back. Laser beak flew left and right to avoid the shots from behind and needed to get her off its back. Turning back around, it started to target the cables connected to the catwalk she was on and fired away. After a couple of shots, the cables snapped, causing the catwalk to shake a little. The girl was trying to regain her footing, immediately reminiscing on the last time it happened with Airachnid.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh no… Not this again!"

Almost immediately, the catwalk tilted to one side and caused her to fall to the ground. During the fall, Laser beak quickly deployed its cables and flew down to the girl. Elsa was caught off guard by it as the cables wrapped around her. By the moment they grabbed her, Laserbeak quickly flew up high, dragging her with it. Elsa was being thrashed about and was getting annoyed by all of it.

Elsa de Sica: "Let me go! You stupid bird bot! I'm warning you!"

Getting her blaster up, she fired away, but it was difficult to shoot as Laserbeak flew around constantly while she shot wildly. As all that was doing on, John limped away from the battle and hid to the closest place that he could find. Getting behind a carcass of a dead Combaticon, he sat down and rubbed his right knee to get the feeling back.

John Darby: "Great work, John. Picked a good time to damage your knee then now. Wish there was a way to prevent this from happening again."

Just then, he could hear the sound of metal clanking to each other and peeked up to see what it was. That's when he saw Jack and June fighting Soundwave with all that they have. With the Star Saber sword and scalpels armed, the two were fighting him in close combat. With quick swings and slashes, they tried to take him out, but the Intelligence officer knew of every strategy and avoided every strike with ease. Rodimus groaned and can't take this Con's avoidance.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hold still! Can't get out of here with you moving about!"

Soundwave continue to avoid the attacks, either not listening or did but not caring. Knowing that these two wouldn't give up, he decided to confused them and jumped up while avoiding the final swing of their blades. The two missed and nearly collided with each other, looking up to see him transforming into a flying drone jet. At the moment he flew, he immediately disappearing in a portal he opened up in a matter of seconds. By the time he vanished, the two looked on and were completely confused by it.

June/Altra: "Where did he go? He just disappeared!"

By the time she said that, a portal appeared in between them and something was coming out of it. Jack turned to see Soundwave coming out of that portal and warned his mom about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom! Look out!"

He quickly rushed to her and shoved her out of the way just moments before Soundwave brushed past the two of them. They were completely on the floor and were quiet for a moment before looking back to see Soundwave disappearing through the other portal he just created. The two got up as soon as he disappeared from that last portal, as the nurse was confused.

June/Altra: "What just happened?"

Rodimus saw him leave and knew what is going on.

Jack/Rodimus: "Looks like Soundwave is pulling the same move he did with Raf back at Darkmount. He uses his teleporting ability to bridge from one area to another, preventing us from reaching him and using that said technique to attack us. He's clever in this move."

Altra listened to this and wonder what to do now.

June/Altra: "So now what do we do?"

Jack though hard until he would come up with the next plan, turning to her to explain about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Possible bet, look for a pattern and then use it to our advantage. Find something that can stop his momentum and it will give us the opening we need. It's better then standing around while he attacks us."

June heard this and decided to trust him on it. Just then, the next portal opened up and Soundwave came out for a next attack. Jack peeked to the side and decided to retreat until they can fight back.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Split up and transform!"

The two made a quick split as the Decepticon drone flew between them. Doing so, they immediately transformed and drove in separate directions, finding a way to stop the Intel officer in killing them. Soundwave immediately saw this and knew that it was fruitless for them to escape. So he opened a portal to phase through it to get to his first target. That first target is the weaker of the two, June. The nurse was driving as far away from the Con as she could. Course, Soundwave isn't one that would loose his target, as the portal opened up beside her. She used her review mirror to see the portal to her side while driving. That's when Soundwave came out and flew straight towards her. She had little time to avoid him as the Intelligence Officer collided with her. Both vehicles tumbled around until the two transformed with Soundwave on top of her. June struggled to get out, but unfortunately, it was nothing since he's too strong, giving his thin frame.

John observed it all from a distance and was shocked to see the Con on top of his wife.

John Darby: "Oh no… June!"

He looked around for something that was useful and found a dead Vehicon with a detach blaster off its arm. Seeing this, he decided to fight even with a damaged knee. So he staggered to it just so he could aid her in some way.

Back to June, she was having difficulty in trying to make an escape and was having a hard time getting out of this predicament. Yet struggle as she might, she cannot break herself free, so she tries to threaten him.

June/Altra: "Let go of me, you walking radio set! You try to harm me, and I'll change your dial!"

Soundwave didn't listen, instead and responded with an early recording he picked up from her.

Soundwave: _"What's the matter? Didn't like the taste of your own medicine?"_

He soon raised his arm up and was about to deliver a striking blow. But then, without warning, he was bar raided by multiple projectiles at his side where he was raising his arm. June saw this and wondered what just happened. When she turned to the direction of the shots, she saw something that shocked her completely.

June/Altra: "John?"

Indeed, it was John, as he got the detached arm blaster and was firing away at the Intel Officer with a look of complete fury.

John Darby: "Get away from my wife, you sick psycho!"

Soundwave turned to the Darby with a question mark appearing on his visor as he was confused by this sudden move. But this lead to him getting distracted as June took this opportunity. Deploying her deliberators, she charged them up and placed them on his chest plate, creating a huge enough volt to nearly give him a serious seizure. Then she got her pede up to his stomach and lifted him up, tossing him over her head. Soundwave managed to recover as he transformed and flew away, opening a portal to disappear into. Once he was away, the nurse got up and approached her husband, surprised that he pulled something this stupid.

June/Altra: "John, what are you thinking?! Going into to battle blindly, especially with your wounded knee. That is a heavy risk and you know it."

John looked to his wife and reminded her of his past experience.

John Darby: "Gee, that's a sure fire way in saying thanks to your husband, June. Need I remind you of the last time my fratelo and I fought Cons? And if it wasn't for me, I would be afraid on what Cybertronian intercourse is like."

June looked to him with a coy grin and thought that's what he's thinking.

June/Altra: "Oh, John… I don't think Cybertronians have sexual intercourse. At least, I don't think they do."

Though to two had a laugh at it, they didn't know that the portal opened up close to them. That is when Soundwave came out to deliver a serious blow to them. Rodimus saw this through his review and immediately reacted to it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom! Dad!"

He soon drifted to the direction of Soundwave and went to Maximum Overdrive to reach him. By the time he did, he collided with Intel Officer just seconds before the Con would hurt his parents. The two heard the sound of a collision and turned to see the Hummer hitting the military drone and pushing it away. The drone immediately transformed back and applied the breaks with his pedes before lifting him up and tossing him away. Jack quickly transformed to his bot mode and got his Star Saber sword and energy shield out to fight him off.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "No one harms my family and gets away with it."

Soundwave saw the tenacity underneath the visor and decided to focus his attention to the Prime in training. Extending his sharp digits, he charged in to begin the attack. Rodimus got to the defensive and raised his energy shield to deflect the attacks from the Intelligence officer. Jack backed away as the attacks were fierce and he couldn't retaliate unless there's an opening. Soundwave kept on attack with swift strikes while the shield was beginning to chip away. But the more hits he kept doing, the more tired he got. Jack saw this and decided to use that as his advantage. Once the Intel officer couldn't continue, the future Prime winded back his shield and smacked him upside his helm. The blunt of the hit, caused the visor to crack to top corner and down the other side of the bottom corner. By the time he got on the floor, Rodimus approached him with his Saber sword out and was ready to finish the job.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "This is all you can do? Beat me up senseless? You got to do better then that."

He soon raised his sword and was ready to take him down. But he realized that this was too easy to take down a highly intelligent Con. And easy it was, as two metal cables came out of his sides and approached the Autobot. Jack was caught off guard as the two cables wrapped around his wrists and held on tightly. He tried to get out, but struggle as he must, he couldn't escape from this predicament. Then with a quick flick, he was launched off the floor and into the air, colliding to a stack of crates close by. He soon landed on the floor with his body contorted and was laying there upside-down, groaning from the pain.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Ow… Guess I spoke too soon…"

Shaking off the last attack, he looked up, or down giving his position, and saw Soundwave approaching him, only this time with his relic attached to his arm wing and took aim. By the time he saw this, he immediately rolled away to avoid the pulse blast from that weapon. He soon transformed and sped as far away as he could from the Intel officer. Driving in a circle, he did his best in avoiding the shots while trying to find a way in taking that weapon off his servos.

Meanwhile, Elsa was in the air trying to escape the wrath of Laserbeak. It still held on to her with its metal cables while she was firing around, aimlessly missing more and more.

Elsa de Sica: "Damn it! Can't get a good enough aim to take it down. Got to concentrate hard enough to get a good enough hit."

Closing her eyes, she focused hard to get the right aim. Taking deep breathes, she slowly moved her blaster to where she needs to target. By the time she got there, she opened her glowing blue eyes and had a look of determination on her face. Charging her shot, she fired the let the projectile hit the wing of the Minicon. Laserbeak felt that and was seriously wounded, causing it to fall to the ground with Elsa joining it. She struggled to get out and managed to free herself when the cables weakened their grip. But she was still falling, as she needs to find a way to land.

Back to Jack, he was trying to drive away from Soundwave as he kept on blasting him with one wave shot after another. Knowing he was only getting away, he deduced the most logical way of victory. Taking aim at the front end where Rodimus was going, he fired a stream to block his path. The new Prime applied the breaks fast before he get caught in the stream and drifted to a 90-degree angle, looking right at the Intel Officer. He soon took aim to him and was ready to blow him away. Jack just parked there and didn't know what to do.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Oh scrap!"

He charged up his resonance blaster and was ready to blast him to next week. But then, he noticed something coming down his spot and looked up. That's when he saw Laserbeak with its wing smoking and heading straight towards him. The Minicon collided with him on the chest and caused him to fall to the ground. Jack saw this and wondered what happened.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "What the… How did that happen?"

That is when he heard the voice of a familiar girl that he knew.

Elsa de Sica: "Jack! Catch me!"

He looked through his review mirrors and saw Elsa falling not far behind.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Elsa!"

He soon put the pedal to the metal and sped to where Elsa was going to fall. By the time he got there, he turned 180 and transformed into his bipedal mode to catch her. It was successful as he got Elsa by the palm of his servo and checked on her.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Gotcha! You okay?"

Elsa looked to him and smiled with delight.

Elsa de Sica: "I am now! Thanks for the save. I'm never going to be flying like that again."

Rodimus chuckled and could tell that she wasn't comfortable fighting with Soundwave's little pet. He soon turned to where Soundwave had fallen and noticed that he was recovering and getting up from the last attack. As he was getting up, Laserbeak attached itself to his chest for immediate repair. As he got up, his visor was in static as it showed an angry face emoji sparking. The two looked to him and knew that they're in for a fight.

Elsa de Sica: "Looks like this is going to be a rough fight."

Jack nodded as he placed Elsa back down to get his weapons out.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Then lets give him one. Stay with me, Elsa. It's high time we finish this!"

Elsa nods and deployed her weapon as well to fight.

Elsa de Sica: "Copy that!"

Just like that, Soundwave got all four cables out of him and they headed straight towards them. Both separate as they attacked with their blasters armed. Going in a circle, they fired away to take him down. The Intelligence officer covered himself to protect himself from the assault. Knowing this isn't getting him anywhere; he decided to escape and transformed to fly up high. The two saw him escaping and kept on firing to clip off his wings. Soundwave though opened up a bridge over him and flew right into it. By the time he disappeared, the two kept their eyes peeled incase he returned. He did return as a portal appeared behind Elsa. Jack could see this and warned Elsa about it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Elsa! Behind you!"

She heard it and turned to see Soundwave coming out from the portal, ready to attack. With a smirk on her face, she decided to strike as she jumped up high and over the Decepticon drone. Going upside down, she used her blaster to fire at him and took a couple of shots on his topside. It didn't phase him though as he headed straight to the future Prime. Jack could see this and kept his ground, ready to strike. By the time Soundwave got close, he winded back and delivered a swift punch to his nose, causing him to fly out of control. He quickly transformed and landed as best as he could. Looking up, he saw Jack standing there in a stance, ready for another go. Taking the quick way out, he got his blaster up and charged for a huge enough blast. But before he could fire, he heard the sound of sirens in the distance. Turning to the right, he could see the Volvo Emergency Vehicle fast approaching him in top speeds. He had little time to react as he got rammed pretty good and was almost run over. The car quickly made a stop and drifted to go in reverse. Just then, the passenger window opened up and John peeks out of it firing his blaster that he is holding in his hand, getting really angry.

John Darby: "No one hurts my kids!"

Soundwave was being overwhelmed by the blaster fire as he transformed again and flew away, disappearing into a portal he created. Once he was gone, Jack and Elsa approached the couple and was shocked that they came by.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom?! Dad?! What are you doing here?! Elsa and I have everything under control!"

John limped out of the car while Altra transformed to explain about the interruption.

June/Altra: "We are aware. However, the two of us wanted payback from what that creep almost did to me. I swear, every Decepticon that I encounter wanted to be in bed with me."

John sighed and didn't like that image in his head.

John Darby: "You're telling me…"

Jack rolled his optics around while Elsa snickered at their response. Just then, the portal opened up on the ceiling and Soundwave dropped from behind them. They all quickly turned around and saw him just standing there with his cables moving around and looked to be mad.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Looks like he's just about had it. It's high time we end it. Surround him!"

Quickly, they all got into all four corners with John remaining as the usual spot due to his damaged knee. They soon armed themselves with blades and blasters and are ready to deliver the final blow.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "This is it everyone… Our only chance in defeating him and getting out of this ship. It's now or never. You all ready?"

They all responded in unison.

June/Altra: "Ready, Jack."

Elsa de Sica: "Understood."

John Darby: "No turning back now."

Hearing this, Rodimus's optics glowed underneath his visor and was ready to strike.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Autobots, attack!"

He, Altra, and Elsa rushed in to hit the Intel officer with everything they got while John remained where he was and fired the detached blaster from farther distance. With them surrounding him, they thought they have everything under control. But Soundwave looked to this and decided to hit them all in one blow. With his renoscense blaster up high, he charged it up for a full blast. John looked at this at a farther distance and don't know what he's up to. That is when he saw it being brought down; he realized what he's planning and warned the others.

John Darby: "Jack! June! Elsa! Get back! That Con is up to something!"

But it was too late, as Soundwave placed the blaster to the floor and immediately activates it as the three got close to him to take them all out. That soon led to a huge pulse spreading wide in the floor. This caused them to get pushed away and flew to opposite directions. They soon got hit by metal crates and pillars, knocking them out temporarily. Even John was hit by the pulse blast and was hit hard on the floor, knocked out as well. When the pulse was gone, Soundwave stood there victorious and responded in his own monotone voice box.

Soundwave: " _Autobots and humans inferior… Soundwave superior…"_

Just then, the metal door of the hanger opened up and a group of Vehicons entered to see what was the commotion. That's when they could see the two Autobots and two humans scattered on the floor and were out like a light. They soon looked up to see Soundwave walking towards them and gave them the same order in Starscream's voice.

Soundwave: _"Bring them back to the park. We still need to make that trade."_

He soon walked away as the drones looked to each other and wondered what happened in the hanger. They soon decided to follow his orders and headed to the four unconscious intruders to pick them up and dragged them out of the hanger.

* * *

Back down at the abandoned Six Flags Park, the battle was getting rough as the Autobots survive as much as possible. Arcee was with Knockout as they clashed with their weapons in their possession. The femme used her blades to make some serious strikes, but the medic used his arms to block those strikes and left him with scratches on his plating. The moment she got tired out, Knockout took the advantage and got his drill ready to thrust it to her face. She quickly avoided the penetration by jumping and twirling to the side. Landing with a stance, Knockout turned to her and was very eager.

Knockout: "You know, of all my opponents I faced, you are difficult to take down. It is no wonder why Airachnid never got around on how to defeat you."

Arcee raised an optic ridge and was a little annoyed about it.

Arcee: "Wow… I'm quite flattered…"

The medic though decided to get serious on the two-wheeler.

Knockout: "However, I'm afraid that we have to end this little bout. Nothing personal."

He soon got his drill and bone saw together at they were sparking on contact.

Knockout: "I'm just following orders!"

He soon rushed forward and had his weapons down, ready to deliver a crucial blow. Arcee saw this and had to really get into the defensive. Getting close to her, he used his surgical weapons to slice and impale her. The femme quickly moved around and avoided him with grace and agility, trying to get away from him. She soon got her blades up and block the saw with all her might as sparks started came out of both weapons. But Knockout managed to use this as a diversion, as he has one weapon still in possession. With his drill down low, he was ready to piece it to her spark chamber. Cee realized it as she just use her pede to kick the drill off her, seconds before it reached her chest plate. This led for her being free and had Knockout stumbling and backing away. Course the drill still got to her as it grazed her cheek and felt a small cut with a bit of energon bleeding out. Still, she was able to free herself from that near death experience and decided to make a quick escape. She soon rushed right to Knockout and jumped up to him. By the time she flew to his face landed on top of him, giving a quick kick in the process. She soon launched herself off him and flew in the air, transforming high up. Landing on her tires, she sped away as fast as she could. Knockout managed to recover and saw her leaving, feeling aggravated.

Knockout: "Running away from me? How cowardly! Fight like a mech!"

He soon transformed and sped right after her, giving chase to the two-wheeler.

Bulk continued to fight the Insecticon and Combaticon with just his wrecking balls. Pound for pound, he was hitting them all his might. The heavy started to attack the Wrecker with his fists and was charged up for the strike. Bulk quickly backed up avoided the punch and found an opening, using his wrecking ball to smack him up the head and pushed him away. He soon turned to the Insecticon and went to the offensive, wanting to pound him next. The Con had his arms up to block the heavy blows, holding its own. Bulk was starting to tired and didn't like the Con getting defensive.

Bulkhead: "For Primus sake… Would you let your guard down for one nano click! This is getting frustrating!"

He continued to pound the bug's arms as much as he could, but was getting weaker from all the hitting. The Insecticon saw this and decided to take his shot. Twisting its body, it delivered quite a whollop with its arm and sent the Wrecker flying away from it.

At the same time, Miko and Wheeljack were holding their own as they continued their assault against the Tankicons and Combaticons. Kaosu was using her gravity hammers to pound the Combaticons in the chests and sent them flying in every direction while dodging the huge energy projectiles fired by the Tankicons. Once she has everything in the clear, she turned to the heavies that had their shields up and went with the double attack move. Arming her sonic cannons and shoulder mounted rocket launchers, she fired a heavy wave of sound and then fired her rockets multiple times. The Tankicons and pushed off by the blast and backed away while wailing their shielded arms. That left them completely vulnerable, as the rockets him them in the faces and chests and killed them instantly. Once they were killed, the Wrecking cadet placed her hands on her hips and smirked very cocky.

Miko/Kaosu: "Booya! Suck on that, Cons! Man this is too easy!"

Wheeljack was on the outside and had his swords out to slice the Cons apart. He blocked the strikes by a Combaticon and avoided the one crushing blow. Jumping back, he soon got to a stance and was willing to charge in again. But he was immediately punched out by a fist from another Combaticon and flew away from them. Rolling around for a little bit, he landed and scrapped his side until he stopped completely. Shaking off the effects, he looked up to see the small group of Cons slowly approached him, willing to fight. He needed to take out the rest of them and fast. Looking around, he spotted what was supposed to be a spinning cups ride that could make guests dizzy every time they get on the ride. Now it looked like it was badly damaged and not suitable to get on anymore. However, it could be used as a weapon as Wheeljack has a twisted idea. Getting his Polarity Gauntlet out, he activated it and pointed to the spinning cup and fired it up. The ride itself was covered in an orangey hue as it started to shake violently. Almost immediately, the ride got detached to the base and floated up in the air. With a quick swing, he tossed the ride right to the Cons and they were immediately cut in half to the rusty edges. Once they were taken out, Jackie stood there proud and was pleased with it.

Wheeljack: "Now I know why people need to stay in the ride. Might loose your head that way."

He thought that he was in the clear, but he heard a voice of a familiar friend from above.

Bulkhead: "Incoming!"

He looked up and saw Bulk rocketing down towards him and wasn't prepared for it at all.

Wheeljack: "Scrap!"

The two soon collided and they were both on the floor. Kaosu heard the sound of a collision close by and turned to see what happened. That's when she saw her Wrecker comrades on the floor and on top of each other. She gasped as she came to their aid.

Miko/Kaosu: "Bulkhead! Wheeljack!"

She rushed to them to check on them.

Miko/Kaosu: "Are you guys okay?"

The two groaned for a little bit as Wheeljack was starting to come to.

Wheeljack: "Oh sure… I had everything under control, until Bulk collided into me in the air."

Bulk groaned and apologized to his friend.

Bulkhead: "Sorry about that, Jackie. Guess that Insecticon got the better of me."

Miko raised an optic ridge as she was a little confused.

Miko/Kaosu: "Insecticon…?"

They all immediately heard the sound of shrieking from behind as the Wrecking Cadet turned around while the Wrecker veterans staggered to get up to see the bug approaching them with it stomping its metal feet. It soon shrieked to the three and extended its claws and pincers, ready to kill. The three stood there in shock while Miko didn't think he got defeated so easily.

Miko/Kaosu: "You didn't take on that thing?! My god… Guess that feud you had with Hardshell really got you hesitant."

Bulk turned to his friend and was a little annoyed about it.

Bulkhead: "Hey! Not my fault! That slagging Con knocked me out of the blue. Lost that Forge Hammer too."

Jackie looked around and spotted the hammer that was far from them.

Wheeljack: "You mean, that hammer?"

Bulk looked to where Jackie pointed to and saw the Forge as well. Seeing this, he groaned and couldn't believe this.

Bulkhead: "Oh, great… Just my luck. Hammer's too far out, and the Con is close by. This can't be my day…"

Wheeljack sighed and decided to handle this himself.

Wheeljack: "All right! That's it! I'll handle the bug! Kaosu, help Bulk get the hammer!"

He got his mouth guard closed and took out both his swords to attack. Charging in, he used his swords to cut him up. The Insecticon blocked it with its heavy arms and protected itself. It then backhands him and he was pushed back. Screeching to a stop, he got into a pose and was ready for round two. The Insecticon though decided to strike back as it charged with its pincers to do some heavy damage to him. Jackie soon got to the defensive and blocked each attack using his swords to deflect them. As he was preoccupied, Bulk saw the fight and didn't like it.

Bulkhead: "Not good… At this rate, I don't know if Jackie can hold him off. We have to get to the forge fast before he's as good as scrap."

Miko looked to the hammer and could tell that they were in good enough distance. Thinking about it, she decided to do something stupid.

Miko/Kaosu: "No problemo, Bulkhead. I got a great idea."

The Wrecker turned to her and got a little worried.

Bulkhead: "Oh boy… Somehow, I don't like it when you have one of your ideas. So, what do you have in mind?"

Kaosu turned and smirked to him, while arming one of her sonic blasters.

Miko/Kaosu: "It's simple… You run towards the Forge and I'll push you with my sonic blaster. The push would get you to the hammer faster."

Bulk heard this and was a little nervous.

Bulkhead: "And how is that a great plan? Getting pushed by your blaster isn't going to be a comforting experience."

The cadet gave a pout and told him of the worse case scenario.

Miko/Kaosu: "Do you want to get your hammer, or let Wheeljack get hurt? What's it going to be?"

Bulk blinked and was a little worried about it. Looking back, he could see Wheeljack holding his own as best as possible. He blocked each strike by those pincers and was trying to look for the opening. He soon got crossed his weapons to block a high attack from the Insecticon's two pincers and held it down as much as possible. However, he got the one opening he needed and kicked the bug below the belt. The bug was immediately squeamish and was a little woozy from the attack. This gave Jackie the chance to strike back. With his swords at the ready, he quickly made some quick slices to remove the pincers off of it. Once it was unarmed, he got into position with his pedes in place and started to jump to deliver a double kick to the chin. Doing a flip in the air, he landed back on his pedes and looked to see the damage he done. Unfortunately, it was the worse mistake in his life as the Insecticon reacted completely deadly and shrieked in the air. It soon charged in with its claws extended and begins with the assault. Jackie realized the mistake he made and lifted his swords to block the strikes, getting scratched in the process. Bulk could see this and was scared for his friend's life. Giving a deep sigh, he decided to listen to her advice.

Bulkhead: "All right, let's do it."

Miko smiled and decided to start the plan.

Miko/Kaosu: "Good. Now start running! I'll give you a push!"

He took a deep breath and started to run, even though it was a slow run giving that he's a bulky body. By the time he was running, Kaosu armed her blaster and took aim at him in the back. With a good enough charge, she fired a wave blast and it pushed Bulk much farther then before. Even if he knew the plan, he wasn't prepared for that as he was sent flying towards the hammer. By the time he landed, he was near the forge and grabbed the handle. Picking it up, he looked back to Jackie to see how he's holding. Already, he was desperately trying to take the bug down. Jackie kept on blocking while the bug continued the assault. It was so much difficult that he couldn't get an opening with those huge arms in the way. Seeing this isn't getting him anywhere, he decided to take the risk and jumped away, doing a flip to get into safety. Getting his swords away, he got his gauntlet out and pointed it to some random metal debris that was around him. They all were engulfed and levitated in the air, letting him swing the gauntlet to the Insecticon's position. All the debris flew to it as it covered up to protect itself from the onslaught. This gave the Wrecker the chance he needed as he ran up to him and jumped, delivering a speeding kick to his body, with enough velocity to take him down. By the time the bug got taken out, it recovered by transforming and flying away, only to turn to get back to him. Wheeljack saw this and armed his blasters to fire right at the bug. Unfortunately, he's only been getting nothing but air as the Insecticon soared straight to him and rammed him in the process. Jackie felt that as he was being pushed right to the remnants of a dark ride attraction and was pinned completely. The bug transformed back and shrieked, knowing that it got him. But unbeknownst to it, Bulk witnessed the whole thing and decided to react quickly. Raising his hammer up, he slammed it down and caused a serious ripple effect that shook the ground completely. The bug got caught by it as it stumbled before it plummeted to the floor. Seeing this opening he charged in with his hammer and was ready to deliver the killing blow. The Insecticon slowly started to get up and wondered what happened. Turning behind it, the last thing he saw was the flat end of the hammer and Bulk pulling a Babe Ruth.

Bulkhead: "Batter up!"

In a matter of moments, the bug got hit hard in the face and sent it flying high in the air with such height that he disappeared, Team Rocket style. Once it was as good as gone, Bulk offered a hand to Wheeljack to get him up.

Bulkhead: "You cool?"

The Wrecker recovered from the last attack and grabbed his servo, lifting himself back up. Dusting himself, he turned to Bulk and told him that he had everything under control.

Wheeljack: "Had him on the ropes, just to let you know."

The green Autobot chuckled and thought it was funny.

Bulkhead: "Yeah. I notice."

Just as they were recovering, Miko approached them and was glad that everything worked out.

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh yeah! The gang is back together!"

Jackie though decided to help out with the others.

Wheeljack: "Let's see if we assist with the rest of the team. They could need our help."

The two turned to their teammate and nodded, transforming to get to the closes Autobot that they could see.

Back to Bumblebee, he was having a difficult time in facing the Combaticons. He's been fighting them left and right and was trying to get some clearing room. He did a jumping spinning roundhouse kick to down Con in the face, then landing on the ground, he ducked a swing from another Con's swinging arm and flipped all the way back to the next one. That's when he jumped off with his servos and delivered two feet to his chest plate, pushing him to the ground. Launching back, he rolled and got to a kneeling stance to arm his blasters, firing right at anything that moves. He managed to hit a few in the face and chest and was shut down in an instance. But there are still too many surrounding him and knew that the odds are against him.

Bumblebee: _**(Scrap! There are too many of them! No way I can take them all myself! I'm going to need some help!)**_

He quickly got into his boxing stance and jumped side-to-side as the Combaticons rushed to him with their prods completely charged. He started to block each strike in every direction while trying to get some hits as well. But he was too overwhelmed by the group and was punched hard in the face in the process. He was completely dazed and was staggering for a little bit. That led for him to get grabbed by the head and lifted up to another Combaticon's face. With a quick toss, the scout just flew, only to get grabbed by the next one from behind, giving him a tight bear hug. He was completely trapped as another one approached him and delivered some serious jabs to his face, wanting to knock him out completely.

Back with Arcee, she was driving as far as possible while Knockout gave chase. Drifting to the left through the dismantled kiddy rides, she spotted the group of Combaticons with Bumblebee getting beaten up. That completely shocked her, as she had to do something about it.

Arcee: "Oh no! Bumblebee!"

She soon drove straight to him as the medic kept pursuing her. Seeing her heading straight to the Combaticons, he knew that she made a huge judgment of error.

Knockout: "Foolish mistake, missy. You just turned right into a dead end."

He soon thrusted himself forward, getting closer to the femme in blinding speed. The two-wheeler checked her review mirror to see the red sports car fast approaching her and didn't like the odds.

Arcee: "This is just my day. There's got to be a way in loosing him while saving Bee."

Looking on ahead, she noticed something in the distance that looks like discarded crates of fireworks, with the contents spilled. Normally, the flood must've damaged some of the crates, but they look dryer and didn't look like it was affected by Katrina's flooding. Maybe this would be her shot in loosing him. Getting her blasters out of the sides of her vehicle mode, she took a breather and hoped for the best.

Arcee: "Please let this work. Please let this work. Please let this work."

She soon charged her shots and fire two energy projectiles to the fireworks. By the time the projectiles hit the fireworks and they exploded in impact, sending out a multicolor display in front of her. She soon drove through the fireworks before it got out of control. Soon enough, the fireworks spread and exploded all around the area. Knockout saw this and applied the breaks, trying to stop his own momentum. That was until some of the fireworks headed to his directions and exploded around him. He soon lost control and tumbled around before transforming back, rolling to a complete stop. When the impromptu fireworks show stopped, he got up to observe himself. Seeing that he was completely covered in firework sut, he was angry over it and blamed Cee for it.

Knockout: "Cursed femme… Do you know how long it takes to clean all this off?!"

By the time he said that, he could hear the jet engine from close by and looked up to see Starscream flying down to his position. He soon transformed and saw the medic in a bit of a pickle.

Starscream: "Hmm… Looks like you got yourself in a mess."

Knockout turned to him and wasn't in the mood.

Knockout: "Don't toy with me, commander. That femme just pulled a fast one on me and made her escape! When I get my servos on her…"

Scream though stopped him and told him to save it.

Starscream: "Save the drama for later. Right now, we got what we need to end this little fight. Follow me."

He soon transformed back and flew high in the air. Knockout though was a little silent and decided to listen to him.

Knockout: "Oh sure, I'll follow you. Just wish you understand that I can only drive and not fly."

He too transformed back and drove after Scream flying high.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee was getting a serious beat down and do not know how to escape. The Combaticon continued to punish the scout in the face and multiple times as he was resilient with the many punches. The Con decided that he had enough and wind back to pull a devastating attack. But before the Con would strike, he heard the sound of gears shifting and turned to the direction of it. That's when he it immediately got kicked in the face and knocked him out. Bee looked saw this and shock and could tell that it was Arcee who saved him. This gave Bee a chance in escaping used his back helm to hit the Combaticon holding him in the face, making him dizzy. He was free from the grip and turned to jump and flipped, delivering with a kick up to the chin. Landing on his pedes, he armed his blasters and fired multiple shots at the enemy, hitting him in the chest and head for the kill.

With Arcee, she did kick the Combaticon in the face and knocked him down. Landing on the ground, she fell and rolled on the dirt, to twist and stood back up with a quick stance. The Combaticon slowly started to rise up and shook off the cobwebs in his processor. Turning to the femme, he was furious and charged his prods to deliver a vicious assault. Running up to her, he wind back and begin his attack. The femme was ready for him and she swayed back and forth to avoid each strike the Con was using. Blocking the last attack, she winds back while deploying her blade, delivering a swift strike to his face and leaving a deep gash on the faceplate. The force of the strike caused him to stagger and turned his body to the back, exposing his three prods. This gave Cee the opening she needed as she armed both her blasters and fired continuous shots right at the prods, causing them to explode and killing the Con. Once she was done with that, she heard beeping noises from a certain bot and turned to see Bee approaching her with a bit of a congratulatory say.

Bumblebee: _**(Thanks for the help, Arcee. But I had this covered.)**_

Arcee looked to him with a coy grin, seeing what he had to go through.

Arcee: "Yeah… I saw that."

As soon at the two were united, they looked to see the remaining Combaticons surrounding them. They both have their backs to each other and could tell that they were being overrun.

Bumblebee: _**(Good thing you arrived, Cee. There are too many of these Combaticons for me to face by myself!)**_

Arcee peeked back to him and smirked.

Arcee: "You know what Cliffjumper says, sounds like a fair fight. Let's dispose of them quickly to help the others. You get your blasters out! I'll freeze them!"

She soon got her Immobalizer out and armed it to initiate her plan. At the same time, Bumblebee got his blasters out and wondered what she has planned. The Combaticons around them roared and charged their prods as they charged in to strike them at the same time. By the time they ran towards them, Arcee decided to pull it off.

Arcee: "Now!"

She soon pointed the Immobilizer to the first Combaticon and fired at him. As the pulse beam hit him, he froze in place, making it impossible to move. She soon spins in a circle to spread the beam around, freezing more Cons in its path. Bumblebee did the same as he fired his blasters right at the rest of the Combaticons. They soon spin at a 360-degree angle and took the Cons out with Arcee freezing them and Bumblebee shooting them down. When they stopped, all that's around them were frozen corpses of their enemy. Bee turned to his friend and smiled behind his facemask.

Bumblebee: _**(Nice thinking there Arcee! As tough of fighters they are, they certainly aren't so bright.)**_

The two-wheeler turned to him and smiled, before getting serious and tells him to move.

Arcee: "C'mon, let's get to Optimus. I'm certain he's having harder issues with them with his immobility."

Quickly, she transformed and sped to where Optimus was fighting while Bee followed suit.

Back with Optimus and Smokescreen, they were having their servos full with their own problems. All around them, Airadicons trapped them and fired away at them completely. Smokescreen avoided the projectiles while Optimus had the Phase Shifter on to let the blaster shots pass through them. They soon fired back and were successful in hitting a few of them. But the others managed to avoid the onslaught and continued to fire. Smokescreen kept on firing and decided that he had enough.

Smokescreen: "This is hopeless! These Cons keep on avoiding our attacks and wouldn't stop. We need to act right now! I'll go and knock them off their feet."

He quickly transformed and rushed on ahead to stop them all. Optimus saw him rushing ahead and tried to stop him.

Optimus Prime: "Smokescreen! Wait! It's too dangerous to go on your own!"

But he wouldn't listen, as he jump the risk and headed straight to the group to take them down. The Cons saw him and immediately focused attention to the Elite Guard member, firing away completely. Smoke did some sick sideway moves to avoid those attacks and continued to charge in. By the time he approached the first Airadicon, he transformed and jumped, using both of his feet to knock him down. pinning him, he armed his blaster and shot the Con in the head, before moving to the next one. Once he approached the next one, he performed some hook punches to the face before kick upwards to the chin to send him flying. Doing a flip and landing on the ground, he got his blaster back up and fired another shot at the second Con. Soon enough, he was getting attacked by the third Airadicon as he was striking the Autobot with his sharp digits. Smoke quickly blocked the attempted strikes with his arms and got scratches on them in the process. Backing up, he needed a weapon to even the odds, but Optimus still had his Phase Shifter with him. Peeking around to see what to use, he saw a long stick with a bell on top of it that had fallen to the side. It was obviously a strongest man midway where customers try to use a hammer to ring a bell in order to get prizes. Sadly, it too became a victim and was washed away from the floor, leaving it completely inoperable. But looking at it, the only thing he could see is a perfect weapon. With a quick kick to the side of the Airadicon's body, Smokescreen quickly grabbed the ring pole and lifts it up, going into a batter stance.

Smokescreen: "Try your luck, Con!"

The Con just starred at him and charged him with killer instinct. Smoke though got his opening and swung the bell pole right at the Con, hitting him squarely in the face by the bell end. The pole snapped on impact and shattered into pieces. But that gave Smoke the chance to finish him off. Arming his blaster, he fired a straight up shot and hit him squarely in the back, with enough power to shut him down. Looking on, he smirked and thought that he had everything under control.

Smokescreen: "Looks like I win. Now where's my prize?"

Just as he said that, he immediately got sucker punched and dropped to the floor. Coming into view, another Airadicon cracked his knuckles and got a chuckle out of Smoke's cockiness.

"Here's your prize, Autobot."

The Elite Guard member was in a daze and didn't know what hit him. Getting his sights back up, he saw a small group of them approaching him and armed their blasters right at him. Smoke could see no way in getting out of this and closed his optics for his sudden end. But suddenly, a pulse wave blast came out of the blue and caught the Cons by surprise, freezing them completely. Smokescreen was, fortunately, untouched by the blast and looked up to see the Cons frozen in their place. He was completely confused by that and wondered what happened. That's when two of the frozen Cons got pushed aside and in popped Bumblebee, looking down on him with confused optics.

Bumblebee: _**(Smokescreen? Why are you on the floor?)**_

Smoke heard this and was a bit embarrassed by what happened.

Smokescreen: "Oh! Uh… Just surprising on how nice the dark sky is?"

It was then that Arcee approached the scout and looked down at the Elite Guard with a coy grin.

Arcee: "Really? Cause by the way it looks, you almost got yourself in a bit of trouble."

Smoke knew what she meant and tried to cover it up.

Smokescreen: "Well, I got them right where I want them."

Arcee: "So we notice."

She offered him a servo as he grabbed hers to lift himself up. Once he stood up, Arcee cut right to the chase.

Arcee: "Where's Optimus."

Smoke turned to her and pointed to the direction where Optimus is fighting.

Smokescreen: "Over there. I think he's holding his own."

Arcee turned to the direction where Smokescreen was pointing. That's when she saw Optimus holding his own and fired both blasters at the Cons while at the same time the Cons fired back. Thankfully, the phase shifter prevented the blaster fire prevented him from turning into Swiss cheese. Seeing this battle, Arcee decided to give him an assist.

Arcee: "Come on! Optimus needs more then the Phase Shifter to help him."

She quickly transformed and sped towards the leader. Bumblebee and Smokescreen followed suit and followed the femme to aid Optimus on the fight.

In the thick of things, Optimus kept on firing at the Airadicons and took out a couple of them in the process. He was thankful that he had the Phase Shifter with him as the projectors phased through him. One Airadicon decided to charge in wanted to strike the leader from behind. But he didn't realize the Phase Shifter was still on and immediately phase through him like a ghost. Optimus could see him right on front of him and decided to use this as an opening. Switching to one of his blades, he impaled him into the chest by the time the Con turned around and lifted him up to the when he was offline. He quickly turned to the remaining Cons that he didn't take out and used his blaster in one arm and used the impaled Con as a shield to protect himself the onslaught.

What he didn't know is that more Cons were coming as the Insecticons flew through the air and Vehicons were driving towards the Prime. They were quickly approaching as the Vehicons transformed and were in sniper position and the Insecticons flying down.

"There's the Prime! Let's take him out!"

They armed their blasters and charged them to fire while the Insecticons in the air charged their blaster horns. With their sights set on Optimus, they were ready to deliver the final blow. But just as they were about to open fire, multiple rockets came out from the air and blasted half the bugs down, sending them crashing into the ground. The Vehicons were caught by complete surprise, as they didn't expect that to happen.

"What in the All Spark?! What was that?!"

Just then, one of the Cons spotted something from the distance and warned the others.

"There!"

The others turned to where we was pointing at and saw the Wreckers in their Vehicle modes speeding towards them. One of them decided to fire on them and told the others to do the same.

"Wreckers! Take them out!"

They soon focused their blasters to the three vehicles and fired away. The three bots swerved around to avoid the shots as Bulkhead and Kaosu took the lead.

Bulkhead: "Ready to rock, Kaosu?!"

The femme mentally smirked and was ready to fight.

Miko/Kaosu: "You know it Bulk! It's time we bring the chaos!"

The two soon went into maximum overdrive and sped right to the group. As soon as they that, they took the ramps that were use to have been comprised of badly damaged and toppled over billboards and flew high to the group. While in the air, they transformed and deployed their close combat weaponry, with Miko activating her dual gravity hammers and Bulkhead taking out the Forge Hammer. Once they make their fall, they landed in the middle of the Cons and planted their hammers to the ground. That in turn caused a ripple wave that knocked all of them down in one hit and were stunned by the sudden attack. Wheeljack saw this and decided to take that opening.

Wheeljack: "My turn…"

Gong into overdrive, he sped to the down Cons and transformed when he was close to them. Whipping out his swords, he went into a dragging stance and sliced every Con that was in his path, letting limbs and heads flying about.

Back to Optimus, he was continuing firing on the remaining Airadicons that were around him and used the dead Con he got as a shield with the blade still impaled to his spark chamber. He soon heard the sound of a slam to the ground and turned back to see the Wreckers attacking the Vehicons that were behind him. He was confused about that, as the Airadicons knew that he was distracted and would give it their own. But before they can strike hard, a pulse wave caught some of them and froze them completely. Optimus soon turn back to see some of them standing there like statues before seeing Arcee cutting the frozen ones up with her arm blades while Bumblebee and Smokescreen charged in and struck the rest with knockout jabs and kicks. Once they were clear, the team reunited with Optimus and stood their ground.

Arcee: "Some negotiations, huh? Didn't think it could go downhill really fast."

They soon heard the sound of the portal opening up and they all turned to see the bridge open and dozens of Cons coming out of it with their blasters armed. The remaining Cons that the team didn't get recovered and joined them, with Tankicons at the distance and Insecticons and Airadicons flying overhead. The entire team immediately armed their blasters and relics at them and were ready for a long and hard fight. But before anyone could react, the voice of Starscream was heard from the distance.

Starscream: "That's enough!"

Team Prime looked up to see Scream flying down towards them in his jet mode. Transforming, he landed on the ground to let his winglets get into place, standing up to continue with the talks.

Starscream: "I respect your determination of yourself and your team, Prime. But I'm afraid that we end this little negotiation. Now surrender those relics and the location of your base to me, and I'll spare all of you."

The team kept their ground and didn't want to surrender everything for him. That's when Smokescreen asked why they would do that.

Smokescreen: "Yeah, right… Why do you think we want to surrender to you so easily? You might as well pry our relics out of our cold servos for that to happen."

The commander heard this and gave a bit of a smirk.

Starscream: "Perhaps… But I don't you understand my emphasis on sparing 'all'. Soundwave…"

By the time he said that, the bridge opened up and some shadows are coming out. Optimus and the others looked right at the portal and wondered what's coming out. That's when their optics were wide and chocked as they saw Soundwave coming out and right behind him were Jack, June, John, and Elsa with stasis cuffs on the cybertronians and the humans with their hands over their head with four Vehicons after them with their blasters to their heads. Once they were all out, they cons kicked their prisoners on their legs and got them on their knees. The Prime looked to this and knew that his fears were realized. The situation has gotten worse then ever.

* * *

 **That ends chapter fourteen. Not a good way to end on another cliffhanger, but giving how long this was taking, I had to cut it short to save time and my sanity. And trust me when I say that the next one will be the epic conclusion of this fight. You sure as Hell don't want to miss this one. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	15. John and Elsa: Revamped

**Before I would begin this chapter, some piece of news to share with you. Now this is somewhat of Transformers news, but it's not. If you are confused, let me explain. See, I've been a big fan of anime for as long as I could remember and there are certain types of animes that are in the WTF category. But there was one that I found online that really took the cake.**

 **Now Transformers was part of the anime scene with a couple of series that were made in Japan, but I never got around to watching them. But then, a new show is coming out that has a Transformers field to it, but not. It's called Henkei Shoujoand it is called, in my words, a slice of life Transformers anime. It is a bit difficult to explain and giving you a clear description would make you think I'm crazy. But a visual example is in order.**

 **Below are five links that have the teaser trailers of this anime. Now there is no full season of it yet, as they are pretty much in the development stage, but looking at these trailers, I could tell that they have some potential and I'm hoping that they get this new series up and running. If they set this new series up on Crunchyroll, Netflix, or any other streaming site, then I will get a chance in watching it. Hell, if I could, I can incorporate that anime into Madoka Prime as a mini crossover with a few minor adjustments. Anyways, watch these trailers and let me know what you think if this soon to be series has potential. Just copy and paste them, add the com, and remove the spaces in between. It's not that easy posting links on chapters when they are removed.**

 **www .youtube watch?v=HhgiiVddR5c**

 **www .youtube watch?v=MQnOYZ_Glt8**

 **www .youtube watch?v=PHAfhxXZJus**

 **www .youtube watch?v=px26-UGWIow**

 **www .youtube watch?v=EziaPFgokqA**

 **Last chapter, nothing much to go by. Just one review and almost three hundred hits. Not as big as the other one, which is over a thousand and climbing. Then again, I posted this chapter up weeks ago, so it's obvious it's too soon to judge. Guess this is what happens when you had to make questionable decisions in your stories. Regardless, I wouldn't give up on this story or any stories in the near future. Still hoping that I don't get involved in a long chapter that I had to split up into two. We'll see, hopefully.**

 **On the this chapter, the Darby's and Elsa were caught and are now being threatened at gunpoint, leaving the Autobots completely scared for their livelihoods. Will they be able to get out of this situation, or will everyone loose in his predicament. This is the final battle people, place your bets!**

 **Chapter Notes**

 **Just a few things to go with before we start. There will be a certain scene I do not want to speak about. Don't want to spoil it but it would come straight from the TFA series with a hint of a moververse design to it. Might be iatrical to Prime and would be fitting to the series, especially from my version of season three. There is also going to be a scene from the actual third season from the episode 'Chain of Command'. Don't want to explain about it either, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the Apex Armor. You just need to wait and see where this would be going.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girl**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: John and Elsa: Revamped

In the abandon Six Flags theme park near New Orleans, the fight immediately stopped and Optimus look to see the situation in front of him. Turns out, Jack and June failed to get John and Elsa out of the ship and back to the base and all four of them are now caught and have blasters behind their helms. Starscream looked back to them and was somewhat impressed by the Autobot's plan.

Starscream: "I got to say, I was amazed over your plan to keep me busy while your future prime and the carrier storm into my ship and free my human prisoners. But in the end, they could never get past Soundwave. Now then, the relics and the location of your base, if you please."

Optimus stood his ground and was silent about it. A part of him wanted to save the humans and the future Prime and his mother. But judging by this many Cons surrounding them he knew that there won't be any way out. So he looked to the commander and asked if what he said is true.

Optimus Prime: "Starscream, do you have your word that all of us will leave unharmed and under our own accord?"

Scream acted graciously and responded.

Starscream: "Oh but of course. I am a mech of my word since I did help you a couple of times during my exile."

Bulkhead though didn't believe him and reminded him of the last time.

Bulkhead: "Yeah… That was until you stormed into our base and took the Omegas Keys from us to be back to your master."

Starscream glared at the Wrecker and decided to cut to the chase.

Starscream: "Let's not dwell in the past and look forward into your future. Now hand over what I need or else things could get messy."

By that time, Knockout managed to drive toward the commander. Transforming, into his bot mode, Scream asked Knockout for a favor.

Starscream: "Knockout, mind raising the stakes for Team Prime."

The medic turned to him and nodded.

Knockout: "Right away, commander. Though I do not like getting my servos dirty, it's best that they need to learn a lesson."

He soon approached the four captives and was ready to give the team no choice. Looking to the four, he picked up John by the digits and carried him to the front. The Darby struggled to get out of his situation and thrashed around.

John Darby: "Hey! Put me down! You won't get away with this!"

Rodimus saw his father getting taken and was irate.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad!"

He tried to get up, but the Con knocked him down a peg and told him to stay.

"Don't move, Autobot."

Once Knockout got John to the front, he held him by the digits as Scream explained what's going to happen.

Starscream: "Now, I know that this planet had suffered a small loss back when we took over that small town of Jasper, but I fear that the number will start growing. And it's going to start with this one here. So hand over the relics and location, or this one will be added to the list of casualties."

To that, Knockout immediately lifted his servo up as it shifted into his drill to impale Jack's father. Getting it into position, he got it close to the Darby and was waiting for the word in terminating him. Elsa saw this and was scared of what would happen to her handler. Out of instinct, she jumped up and rushed to him.

Elsa de Sica: "John!"

She ran up to rescue him, but was stopped by a few more Cons that blocked her path and aimed their blasters to her. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw them and the Vehicon behind her grabbed her by the servos and lifted her up.

"Don't even think about it, sparkling. You won't stand a chance."

The Prime in training saw her getting grabbed and knew this was bad.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Elsa!"

Starscream looked back to see Elsa struggling to get out by the Con's servo and looked amused by it all.

Starscream: "Look at that… The girl got some bite. Too bad that it will be short lived."

He soon turned back to the team and decided to put an end to all of this.

Starscream: "I've groan tired of all this waiting! Give me what I need, or else these two will suffer. What's it going to be?"

There was a silence from Optimus and he knew that the situation is getting grave. Because of this, he needs to make the decision that will alter this war. Giving a sigh of defeat, he removed the Phase Shifter from his arm and tossed it to the middle of the room. The rest of the team, knowing of the safety of John and Elsa, tossed their own relics with the Shifter and they were all in the middle of the floor. Scream looked to this and smirked with pure delight.

Starscream: "Excellent… I got to say, you all are quite the valiant ones. Of all your strength and arsenal you have, the one weakness you have is these humans. It does beg to question, why risk so much just to save them?"

Optimus looked right to the commander and explained why they did that.

Optimus Prime: "You know why, Starscream. You might think that the humans of this world are what you believed to be worthless, there is more to them then meets the eye. Regardless of size, lack of strength, and little to no weaponry, they have more resilient as us. You of all mech's should know about it."

Scream though wasn't impressed and decided to pull the wool over them.

Starscream: "Ah… Such wisdom. It is no wonder why the Primes perished. Wisdom doesn't compare to dominance. Here, allow me to show you. Knockout!"

The doctor heard him and decided to end it all.

Knockout: "With pleasure…"

He soon started to spin the drill and slowly brought it to John. The Darby looked on in fear and knew that all that work he did to find his family, would ultimately lead to his demise. Elsa witnesses it too and feared for his life.

Elsa de Sica: "No! You can't do that! You got what you need! Let him go! You'll be very sorry!"

The medic rolled his optics around and was a little annoyed by her.

Knockout: "I'm sorry… What was that? I can't hear you from the noise my drill is making.

Elsa was gritting her teeth as she just about had it with these Cons. So she repeated again with the sour taste in her voice. But she didn't know that there was a light blue outline glowing on her body.

Elsa de Sica: "I said, let… him… GO!"

Her eyes immediately glowed, but it became pearly white and blinding. Soon enough, her entire body started to glow blue before brightening to white. Starscream saw this and was confused about it all.

Starscream: "What in the All Spark!"

Almost immediately, the light exploded and nearly blinded everyone within the park. By the time the light engulfed there were sounds of gears changing, followed by what sounded like a scuffle. But when the light faded, Starscream, Soundwave, and Knockout turned their heads away the whole time and slowly turned back to see what happened. But without warning, they got hit to their sides and were taken out temporarily. That, in turn, led to Knockout letting go of John, as he was falling to the ground and was screaming. Almost instantly, a blue flash came out of the blue and grabbed him, just inches to the ground. John shut his eyes and hoped that the end had come. But he could feel alive and was confused about what just happened. Slowly looking up, he was shocked to see what he believed to be impossible.

John Darby: "Elsa…? Is that you…?"

Elsa looked down to him, not really aware of what just happened.

Elsa de Sica: "Yes, it's me sir. Why ask such a question."

Pretty soon, she noticed that she was carrying John, giving the weight of his body was heavy for her. She even heard her own voice that while the same, has a metallic tint to it. John simply blinked his eyes and told her to check on herself.

John Darby: "Elsa, just look at yourself."

Elsa heard that and was confused with what he meant by that. Looking around, she found an old funhouse mirror that looked normal, but was grimy and cracked. She could still see it and decided to find out what happened for herself. Gently placing her handler to the ground, she slowly approached the mirror to get a good look at her reflection. When she got a clear view, they was utterly shocked for words.

Instead of the girl that she knew, standing there is a small Cybertronian in green and yellow armor. Her body and armor type is somewhat identical to Arcee's, but was thinner and lacked the parts that resembled Arcee's vehicle mode. She saw gears on her elbows and knees to move her arms and legs, and her mid section of exposed in what looks like protoform skin that resembles Arcee's look. Her head was covered in a mouth guard and her glowing eyes looked reversed with sky blue eyes with white irises. Her yellow helm was slicked back with metal plating split left and right to resemble her hairstyle and the braided ponytails down her back look like sharp blades with lines from top to bottom. And to top it off, her chest plate has an orb in the center of it that's glowing bright. Elsa starred at this new form of hers and didn't know how to react. So much so that she reacted in an Italian language.

Elsa de Sica: "Dio mio! Is that me?! What had happened to me?"

By then, Starscream, Knockout, and Soundwave recovered and turned to see the new and improved Elsa. Seeing this, the commander was in a bit of shock.

Starscream: "What's this?! The human girl turned into an Autobot?! I don't know how you do that, but you will not ruin everything for me!"

He pointed his tightened fist to her and fired his rocket towards her. John looked back to see the rocket heading towards him and his girl and warned Elsa about it.

John Darby: "Elsa! Behind you!"

She heard that and turned back to see missile heading straight toward her and saw the John was in danger as well. Running up to him, she picked him up and something strange happened. Behind her back, a mysterious pack was on her as the sides opened up and sprouted out small winglets while the bottom opened up and a thruster came out. By the time she jumped, the thruster burst and she flew up high, letting the rocket miss them and struck, exploding the spot they were in. The three Cons saw that and were in complete disbelief.

Starscream: "Wha… She can fly?! No way a human can fly!"

Knockout rubbed his chin and was curious about it as well.

Knockout: "Hmm… There's something you don't see everyday."

Scream then had it with this new Elsa de Sica and turned to the rest of the Cons that were starring right at her. Getting angry, he told them to attack.

Starscream: "Stop starring and attack her!"

The group soon heard him and decided to focus on their new target. Arming their blasters, they fired at her as she was whizzing by and avoiding the assault. John held on tightly and didn't expect any of what is happening. Elsa looked down and told him to hang on to her.

Elsa de Sica: "You better hold on to me!"

John looked down to see the Cons blasting them in the air and decided to listen to her advice.

John Darby: "Like I have a choice!"

Elsa flew through the air to avoid all the projectiles around them. Meanwhile, the Cons were too preoccupied at firing this new Cybertronian hybrid that's flying about. Of course, they were too distracted on her to know what's really going on. It was then that they were attacked as blasters hit them from the sides and a few of them were killed on impact. The rest of them saw this and turned to see what attacked them. That's when they saw the Autobots holding their Iacon relics and were poised for battle. Apparently, all the Cons were distracted at the fact of Elsa's sudden change and none of them didn't pay attention to the Autobots. Team Prime was confused about what just happened as well, but they had to focus on the task at hand. So while they were distracted, the team quickly got a hold of their relics and decided to attack the Cons while they were busy. Miko just smirked at this and told them the cold honest truth.

Miko/Kaosu: "Dudes… Consider yourself scrapped!"

Starscream, Soundwave, and Knockout turned to see the team that has gotten a hold of their relics and the commander was incredibly pissed.

Starscream: "Who by the All Spark was paying attention to the Autobots?! Don't just stand there! Shot them! SHOOT THEM!"

Before long, half the Cons started firing while the other half continued to attack Elsa. They all scattered and got into cover as some of them went into covering fire. As the stand off started, Smokescreen looked up to see Jack and June still held hostage and decided that they needed some extra help.

Smokescreen: "Optimus! We might need Rodimus and Altra to assist us!"

Optimus turned to him and then looked to see the Prime in training and the nurse still cuffed and in the middle of the attack. Seeing this, he turned to Arcee and told her to free them.

Optimus Prime: "Arcee!"

The femme turned to the leader and gestured her to do something. Turning, she could see Jack and June still cuffed and caught in the line of fire. Seeing this, she decided to rescue them.

Arcee: "On it!"

Jumping over cover, she transformed and sped down to the two captives. As she left, Optimus turned to the rest of his team and told them to keep pushing.

Optimus Prime: "Autobots! Hold Starscream's forces for as long as possible. We now need to retrieve our brethren and the humans before we can fallback to our base."

Bulkhead soon turned to Optimus and reminded him of what just occurred.

Bulkhead: "Don't you mean one human and one somewhat humanoid? I don't know if you notice it or not, but Elsa turned into some metal android, almost like us."

Jackie soon agreed with his friend.

Wheeljack: "I could agree with Bulk here, sir. Are we not going to mention the huge Piranhacon in the room?"

Optimus heard then and knew what they meant. The fact that Elsa changed into a small Cybertronian human baffles him as much as everyone else. But his main focus now is getting out of this mess.

Optimus Prime: "We'll worry about Elsa later. Right now, our main concern is to get all of them out of there and return to base. Roll out!"

He soon armed his blades and activated the Phase Shifter and ran through cover. The Cons saw him and attempted to fire back. But of course, the projectiles phase through him as he continued to charge. By then, he struck hard as he sliced up Decepticons left and right. Even if the Cons made an attack, they swipes nearly phase through his body and barely left a single scratch. As the battle continued, everyone looked at each other and wondered if a full on assault is the best option. That's when Smokescreen turned to them and told them that they should do it.

Smokescreen: "C'mon guys! You heard Prime! Let's give these Cons what for!"

He got out of cover and deployed his blaster, charging in and firing away. The others soon decided do this and they all got out of cover, getting their weapons and relics out for battle. Soon enough, they brawl against the Cons with everything in their disposal. Bee transformed and sped to the Cons, plowing through the Vehicons by the pedes and made them trip. By the time, he got to the heavy ones, he transformed and jumped to deliver a torpedo kick to knock the Combaticon down. Landing on the ground, he armed his blasters and continued to fire away on the Airadicons that flew in the air.

Bulkhead and Kaosu darted in with their hammers and were ready to deliver a beating. Bulk lifted the forge hammer up and brought down, causing the ground to shake from the impact and nearly got the Cons in a daze. The cadet charged up her gravity hammers and swung around, knocking them down in many directions. Just then, a Combaticon came charging in and was ready for a fight. Miko got into a stance and was ready for a major beat down. With her hammers in full charge, she planted her pedes firmly on the ground and jumped up for the aerial strike. The heavy looked up to her and was ready to punch her high up. As she was coming down, she tilted her body to the side and dodged the punch with quick ease. She then used her hammer to flatten the Combaticon's head like that of a Whack a Mole game and jumped off him, landing on the other side. Turning to its back, she soon armed her shoulder-mounted weapons and fired her rockets at it, blowing up the prods to finish it off. Once it was dead, she turned to the charging Cons and switched weapons to her sonic cannons, pushing them off with her sound waves.

Some of them flew high in the air and were about to fall. But then, they were caught in a yellow glow and were floating in the air. That was because Wheeljack has his Polarity Gauntlet pointed up and grabbed the Cons that Miko blew in the air. Once he grabbed them, he turned his body around and the floating Cons followed his every move. At the same time, a small group of Airadicons and Insecticons were in the air, ready for an aerial bombardment. Jackie soon tossed the Cons he grabbed to them and they all flew straight to their companions. They all collide and they exploded in the air. By the time they were gone, a group of Vehicons came driving in and were ready to strike the Wrecker in close combat. He could see this and smirked behind his mouth guard. Getting his sword out, he went to fighting them his own way. Arming his Gauntlet, he pointed it to them and fired it. The Cons soon stopped in their tracks and couldn't move. With a quick swipe, he tossed them to the side and cleared the way. There were a few of them that he didn't get as they drove right towards him. Seeing that, he twisted his body to show off his sword as they transformed and ready to fight him off in close combat. Quickly, he blocked each shot with his sword and looked for an opening to counter attack.

Back to Elsa and John, they were getting away of the line of fire as Elsa flew high in the air with her new abilities. By then, she managed to get her handler to safety and landed right on a dilapidated gift shop roof. Placing him down, she told him to remain where he was.

Elsa de Sica: "There. You'll be safe here."

She soon looked back at the fight and decided to join in, giving the team is in desperate need of assistance.

Elsa de Sica: "Stay here. I'll handle the Cons."

Just before she could leave, John stopped her, confused of what just occurred.

John Darby: "Elsa, wait!"

She stopped and looked back at him, with the glow of her blue eyes, and was wondering what he wants. John got one good look at her and was amazed that she was a completely different person, or robot by the armor and mods in her. Shaking the thought, he started to speak to her of this new look.

John Darby: "You sure you're okay with this? I mean, you had literally changed and we don't have time to process all of this. Are you still you after what just happened moments ago."

Elsa heard him and knew that he's still confused of her change. Even she didn't know of what became of her as well, but that's something she needs to get use to. So placing her metal hand to his shoulder, she told him that it was all right.

Elsa de Sica: "John… I know that this is confusing and you want a lot of answers. But I don't think I have them. In fact, I don't know what has happened to me. But whatever happened, I can use all of my abilities to aid the Autobots from this threat. You just need to trust me on this. You did train me after all."

John was quiet and didn't know how to respond. Sure he did train Elsa to be the best soldier, but nothing at this scale, or in this new form. But giving how grave the situation is, he doesn't have much of a choice.

John Darby: "Okay… Go out there and teach those Cons what happens when you mess with family. Just be careful out there."

Elsa smirked behind her mouth guard and told him that she got it.

Elsa de Sica: "Please… I've been through tougher fights then this."

Turning back to the action, she activated her boosters and opened her winglets, flying right into the fight. As she got there, she deployed her blaster, the same one she once used all the time and fired from above. The multiple blaster shots rain down on the Cons and she was able to remove a few of them in that assault. Pretty soon, the Cons noticed this and fired their blasters right at her. She flew through the air with ease and avoided each of the projectiles. As she flew up in the air, she sniped high at the distance and continuously took a few Cons by their helms. But as she was doing that, a few more Airadicons flew around and saw the metal girl. They immediately charged right towards her and fired their rockets to take her out. Elsa immediately notices her detection system blazing on her sights and immediately turned to the direction it was pointing to. Seeing the rockets, she had little time to avoid and covered up her arms to brace for the blast. Some of the missiles did miss her, but the rest collided with her and exploded on contact. The jets soon passed the explosion and they thought that they got their target. But when the smoke cleared, they found something quite shocking. What they saw was Elsa still flying in the same spot with her arms covered. But around her is a blue transparent dome that protected her from the blast. Elsa opened one of her glowing eyes and realized that she was unharmed from the blast. Looking at the dome surrounding her, she immediately realized that she saved herself with another new ability and it happened on a whim.

Elsa de Sica: "Whoa… That's something I wasn't expecting."

Looking back, she could see more of those Cons flying around for another strike. Seeing this, she needed to take them out of the sky before they could fire again. Wondering what new abilities she have, she looked to her blaster and focused on switching it. By the time she heard the gears shifting, she looked on and noticed that the blaster was now switched to a small bladed sword that is identical to Triella's but was made of energy then metal. She starred in awe and couldn't believe that she can switch weapons.

Elsa de Sica: "Now we're talking!"

Looking to the Cons approaching her, she flew right towards them as they started to fire more missiles right at her. She avoided each missile as they exploded behind her. Then approaching the one jet in the middle, she gave a swift slice in the middle and the Airadicon got split in half, falling and exploding in the air. Landing on the ground, she looked to the Vehicons and Tankicons around her and they took attention to her. They soon took aim and were ready to take her down. Elsa just looks to all of them and was ready to take them all out. With her energy sword out, she charged in and is ready to attack.

Throughout the chaos, Jack and June kept their heads down as blaster fight was all around them. But they cannot defend themselves nor attack as they were in stasis cuffs and were on their knees. The two Vehicons looked at all this madness and didn't know what to do. One of them turned to his comrade and wondered about what to do.

"So, uh… What should we do? Shoot them?"

The second one looked at this chaos and decided to screw it all.

"The frag… Might as well shoot them and call it a solar cycle. This place has gone to the scrapper as it is."

They soon armed up their blasters and aimed it right at their backs. The two braced themselves for what was going to come. But then, the two Cons heard the sound of a motorcycle engine and looked up to see Arcee in her vehicle mode, racing straight towards them. The one Con saw this and decided to change targets.

"Screw it! Target the glitch instead!"

They immediately aimed their blasters right towards the femme and fired away. She quickly swerved left and right to avoid the shots and got close enough to strike back. Popping a wheelie, she jumped off the rear tire and flew high, flipping and transforming for battle. Getting her Immobilizer out, she aimed in the air and fired a stream right at the two. They immediately froze where they stood and didn't get the chance to avoid it. By coming down, she deployed her blades and with one quick slice, cut their heads clean off. Landing on the other side, she turned to the two still tied and was relieved that they're safe.

Arcee: "Hold still you two. I'll get you out of there."

Switching to her blasters, she charged them and fired right at the cuffs, blasting them off their wrists and freeing them. Both Rodimus and Altra slowly got up and cracked their wrists after getting cuffed for a while the femme approached them. It was then that Jack spoke to his girlfriend of what he saw.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Arcee. Please tell you didn't see what we just saw. Elsa just-"

But she stopped him and knew what he was going to say.

Arcee: "I saw. But right now we need to get all four of you out of here and return to base. Help us clear the way and then we'll speak to your dad and Elsa of what just happened."

Jack remained silent and understood of the situation just right now. Things have gone down the drain and now evacuation is in order. They just need to get Jack's dad and Elsa out of this mess to begin with.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Right. I'll go find dad and Elsa. Get mom out of here and with the team!"

He soon got his Star Saber sword out and his energy shield and then rushed to get to Elsa and his dad. As soon as he left, the femme turned to the nurse and told her to get back with the team.

Arcee: "You heard your son, June! Let's get back with the team as soon as possible!"

Altra turned to her and nodded in serious agreement.

June/Altra: "Got it!"

She and Cee deployed their close combat weapons as saw a few drones charging and blocking their path. Getting into position, she ran towards them and begins the attack. Arcee was in the front as she used her quick speed and agility to cut the Vehicons by their arms and legs. Soon enough, she ducked down as blaster fire came towards her. At the same time, Altra jumped up high and came down with thunderous fury. She used her scalpels and slices the first Con by the arms before spinning and chopping his head clean off. Then switching to her blasters, she fired multiple shots and managed to take out a couple of Cons. But it wasn't enough as she was surrounded. Arcee though soon joined the fray and the two were back-to-back, firing away with the blasters to make a clear path.

With Jack, he was heading straight to where his father and Elsa left to and hoping that they will be all right. By that time, he saw Combaticons blocking his way and charging their prods to fight. He could see them and wasn't in the mood.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Fragging Cons! I don't have time for you!"

By the time he said that, his optics glowed behind his visor and his sword was glowing the same way. With one quick swing, a stream of white energy came out of the sword and flew towards the heavies. The stream immediately sliced them all down in one hit and split them in their mid sections. Once they were cleared, he continues to run right to where the two humans, well, human and cyberhuman, went to. He soon saw Insecticons flying down towards them and started head towards the student. This though aggravates him as his optics continued to glow.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Out of the way!"

With a quick fling with sword, the same stream came up in the air and headed straight towards the bugs. The ones in the back managed to scatter and fly away, but the ones in the front weren't so fortunate. The stream hit them and they exploded on contact. Seeing he was in the clear, he rushed right towards them and hope that they're all right.

In the middle of the fight, Elsa continued to fight the Cons with all in her disposal. With her energy sword out, she kept on swinging while using her boosters on her feet to speed up. Going from one side to the next, she was slicing one Con and then the next one. But there were too many and it would be difficult in fighting them all by herself. Soon enough, she heard the sound of a cannon exploding. Turning around, she could see an energy shell heading right towards her. Covering her arms, the blue dome surrounded her and the shell hit it. The shell exploded on impact, but the girl was completely unharmed. The smoke cleared and saw the Tankicons all lined up with their shields up and cannons pointed right at her. Elsa removed her barrier and got into a battle stance, ready to fight them off on her own. Soon enough, all the cannons charged up and were prepared to fire. But before they could even do that, a huge energy slice came from one side to the other and the group of Tankicons were split in a diagonal angle. They soon slid down slightly before exploded in a chain reaction like mess. Elsa blinked her glowing blue eyes and wondered what just happened. It was then that something walked past the fires and approached the girl. Her glowing eyes widen in surprise and utter that one name she saw.

Elsa de Sica: "Jack?"

She soon joined him and the two locked into each other, despite the height differences. Once they were together, the new Prime asked her something real quick.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Where is dad?"

She soon turned to where he was at and pointed it to that direction.

Elsa de Sica: "He's over there, far away from the fight. Why? What's going on?"

Jack/Rodimus: "The Autobots are falling back. I need to get you and my dad out of here as fast as possible."

Elsa heard that and could see that the situation is getting far worse. With Cons all around them and the numbers against them, they need to make a quick escape.

Elsa de Sica: "Understood! I'll go get your dad and we'll be on our way."

The two soon hurried to the spot where Jack's father was located and hope that they'll make it in time. But then, they were immediately blocked off by a huge group of Combaticons ready to punch them down. The two stop and realized that they were in a bit of a pickle.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Looks like we need to get past them if we are to reach dad. You think you're ready?"

Elsa nodded and got her energy sword and blaster out.

Elsa de Sica: "I was born ready."

To that end, they charged in and begin the their attack while the Combaticons were running and charging their prods on their backs to knock them out. By the time the two got close, Elsa opened up her winglets and launched herself with the boosters on her feet to flying in the air. Coming back down, she aimed her blaster to the first one and fired right at the prods on the back. The projectiles hit it and went into overload. She soon got her sword out and swung it with a quick slice. Landing on the ground with her knee on the floor, she activated her barrier to protect herself while at the same time the Combaticon exploded when the prods were sliced completely. Once the explosion was cleared, Elsa jumped through the smoke and used her sword to impale the next Combaticon in the head and ride it for a few seconds before using her blaster to start shooting at the others.

Rodimus soon joined her as he used his shield to block a forceful punch from another heavy, having it nearly broken from the impact of it. Still, he pushed the Con off his and made it stagger for a bit. He soon cut him to the side and it got split with its legs moving on their own without it's upper half. He soon side step out of the way when he sensed another one charging from behind. He then switched to his blaster and fired directly to the back and the prods started to overload. With a quick kick, he pushed the Con away and used his shield to defend himself from the explosion. As soon as it exploded, the smoke engulfed him and he was nowhere to be found. The other Cons stood their ground and wondered if the future Prime was gone. They soon got their answer as they immediately saw waves of light blue swipes coming towards them. Some of them avoided the attack, but the others weren't lucky and were sliced in multiple directions. The smoke cleared as Jack stood in a warrior stance with his optics glowing behind his visor. The remaining group started to charge their prods and were ready for a hellacious fight. Jack soon begins his assault as he transformed and sped his way towards them. The moment he got there, he drifted and with heavy force, knock them down like a bunch of bowling pins.

As the fight continued on, the team was doing their own in removing the opposition until they get the humans to safety. But almost immediately, there were a few hiccups in the process. One bot was Wheeljack as he had both his sword and Polarity Gauntlet with him. He saw a bunch of Con jets flying towards him and knew he needs to clear the sky. Looking down, he saw the Tankicons in their tank modes pointing their cannons to him and fired multiple shots at him. He soon armed his gauntlet and the projectiles stopped when surrounded by the orangey glow. Looking up, he smirked and pointed his gauntlet at the jets. Letting go of the digits, the energy shells flew right towards them and exploded all around them. Those little fireworks soon destroyed them completely as some of the fall with their engines failing. They immediately collided with the tanks on the ground and all have exploded on impact. Jackie looked to the devastation and was happy of what he did.

Wheeljack: "Sorry Cons, but this is a no fly zone."

By the time he thought everything is safe, he got blind sided when an Insecticon speared him and flew towards a dismantled drop down ride. Wheeljack soon got hit by the ride in the back and was pinned completely, looking up to see the transformed bug roar in delight and has its pincers ready to strike. Seeing this, he got his gauntlet out and was ready to push the Con off him. But it swiped his hand and knocked the gauntlet off of him, causing it to fly away. The Wrecker saw this and turned back to the Insecticon with fearful optics.

Wheeljack: "Scrap…"

The Insecticon was about to rip the bot to pieces, until a couple of explosions hit him in the back. It soon turned to what hit it and saw Miko and Bulkhead standing there with the Wrecking Cadet with her rocket cannons armed and a sour look to her faceplate.

Miko/Kaosu: "No one hurts Wheejack and gets away with it!"

The Insecticon was getting angry and shrieked at them. The two Wreckers got their combat weapons at the ready and looked eager to swat him out.

Bulkhead: "Looks like Jackie doesn't do well to Insecticons. Guess the battle with Hardshell got him beat."

Miko sighed and was in agreement.

Miko/Kaosu: "Yep… Poor guy runs into that much trouble. Luckily, we're here to help him out."

The Insecticon roared and charged right towards the two. Bulk got his hammer up while Miko charged her energy hammer. By the time they charged them up, the bug extended its claws and pincers for a quick massacre. The two immediately ducked down and rolled out of the way from the attack. Getting back up, they swung their hammers and hit the insect by the chest, with enough impact to lift it off the ground and sent flying in the air without transforming. The cadet looked to the bug flying and made a quick remark.

Miko/Kaosu: "It's a home run! And the crowd goes wild!"

Wheeljack watched it all go down and was pleased with the save.

Wheeljack: "Thanks for the rescue. Didn't think that no good insect got the better of me. Even took out my polarity gauntlet in the process."

Bulk looked to his friend's servo and could tell that he lost the relic. He soon turned to him and offered a servo of his own.

Bulkhead: "No biggies. We just need to get that gauntlet back and hope that it's in one piece."

Jackie nodded and got the Wrecker's servo. Lifting himself up, he cranked his gears and got his other sword out.

Wheeljack: "Hope you're right, Bulk. The last thing I want is a Con getting his filthy servos on it."

They soon heard the sounds of blasters and immediately ducked as the projectiles flew towards them. Once they were in the clear, the three, immediately got into cover behind the drop ride and Miko peaked to see the Vehicons surrounding them shooting away. She quickly got back into cover and realized that they were done for.

Miko: "Well, this is bad. Don't think I have enough in my arsenal to put them all away."

Jackie though looks up to the drop ride and found another option.

Wheeljack: "Then it looks like we should start improvising. Start pushing!"

The two turned to their comrade and wonder what he has planned for and saw him pushing the back of the ride down. Seeing this, the two decided to follow his advice and used their bodies to push the ride down. It took them so much strength to push it down, but the ride started to teeter back and forth, nearly loosing its grip. After all that pushing, the stem of the ride slanted and snapped, falling downward like a tree. The Cons saw this and realized that they were in danger as they transformed and sped away, scattering completely. The part of the drop ride fell straight to the floor and crashed, leaving an impact and nearly killed off the Cons. Once the area was cleared, the Wreckers decided to use this to their advantage.

Wheeljack: "All right Wreckers, let's mop the floor with the Cons!"

They soon started to transform and sped straight to the scattered Cons. Though they didn't know what happened to the Insecticon they took out and never knew where it went.

But the one person that knew was John as moments before, he looked at the fight between the Autobots and Decepticons and could tell that it was getting more aggressive then before. But then, he looked to Jack and Elsa and was amazed at them. Between Jack's fighting and Elsa's new abilities and body armor, he never thought that these are the same two and he knew back home and at the SWA. Regardless, he almost felt proud of them. Almost to say the least.

John Darby: "Jesus Christ… Those two are really killing it. And to think that they are my son and girl. I really have a lot of questions going into my head right now, especially to Elsa. But I hope that they get all this out of the way before its too late. Good thing I'm far away from the battle, or things would be-"

He soon heard a shriek from above and looked up to see what it is. Almost immediately, he saw an Insecticon flying out of control and in its bot mode. It is the same Con that Kaosu and Bulkhead knocked right out of the sky. Now it is flying downwards towards the ground, and the most likely place is in the way was that John was at. Seeing this, his eyes were wide and didn't expect that happening.

John Darby: "Shit…"

Almost immediately, he ran to the edge of what's left of the gift shop, trying to avoid the holes on the roof top.

John Darby: "Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!"

By the time he got to the edge, he jumped off the building to get away to safety. At the same time, the Insecticon crashed right through the building and demolished it completely. Soon enough, all that's left was a pile of rubble and the Insecticon was buried underneath it all. At the same time, John landed on the ground, but in the end, had worse for ware. Clinging to his ankle, he knew that it was hurting pretty bad.

John Darby: "Damn it… Bad idea, Johnny boy… Bad idea…"

He soon tried to get up, hoping to get farther from safety, but he nearly tripped and went back down, since his knee buckled once more. Wouldn't it kill him if he had an actual crutch about now.

John Darby: "It's worse then I thought. Maybe I should've have told Bianchi in giving me a damn prosthetic robot leg. Better then having a bad limp."

He started to get up and wondered how to get out of this situation. But by the time he was getting up, he heard the sound of clicking beneath him. He looked down and saw a blue orb that was glowing brightly. He soon looked around and noticed that he was on top of some metal device with a glowing blue orb. That was in fact the Apex Armor as it was knocked out of Starscream's servo at the start of the fight. It soon started to glow brighter and brighter until he could hear the gear moving on their own. Looking up, he soon realized he was in more trouble then before.

John Darby: "Mother f-"

Almost immediately, metal plating surrounded the Darby as the armor was shifting around.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the mess, Arcee and June were trying to get back to the team and were using all that they could to reach them. Blasting away with the blasters and have their backs to each other, shooting away at the Vehicons and Airadicons surrounding them. Cee saw this and knew that it was going to be bad.

Arcee: "Too many of them! We can't get to Optimus with this many in the way."

Altra looked to this and decided to take the biggest risk out there."

Altra: "I got an idea. But you should get away from the ground. Trust me."

The two-wheeler turned to her and wondered what she's up to.

Arcee: "What?"

The nurse looked back and told her for a quick favor.

June/Altra: "Just give me a boost up and get to higher ground!"

The femme looked to her and wondered if she had a choice in this. But the situation continues to get worse and they need to make a clearing for them to escape. Having no choice but to trust her, she grabbed her by the servo and started to spin her around, with enough momentum, she lifted her up and she flew high in the air. Once she was up, Cee immediately transformed and sped to the Cons around her. With a wheelie, she jumped up to one of them and landed her rear tire to his faceplate. By the time she left, she was in the air and flew up to the parachute ride that is rusting. With a quick flip, she transformed and landed on top of the ride, looking to see what Altra is planning. The nurse, meanwhile, was flying high in the air and was high enough to come down. At the same time, she deployed her deliberators and rubbed them extremely hard to deliver a huge enough charge. By the time she came down, she twisted her body to the ground and got her pads out. When she landed, the pads touched the floor and sent a wave of electricity that spread outward in a circle. The electric blast spread through the Cons and electrocute them completely before collapsing to the ground. Arcee saw this and jumped down to the ground to congratulate her.

Arcee: "Impressive… Never thought that those deliberators of yours can do that."

Altra though turned to her and told her that she wasn't expecting that either.

June/Altra: "Well, to be fair, I wasn't expecting that would happen either. Just a little risk I have to make. Now can we get to the team."

The femme nodded as she decided to get going.

Arcee: "Right. The Cons are temporarily out, we should get out of here before they wake up. Let's roll-"

Just immediately, she was electrocuted and screamed in pain, causing her to collapse on the floor. The nurse saw this and checked to see if she's all right. But then, she spotted Soundwave in the distance with his cables out of sparking. She soon backed up and was scared for her livelihood.

June/Altra: "Oh no… Not you again!"

She immediately got her blades out and was willing to fight back again. But almost immediately, she was whacked at the back of her head and taken down completely. That was when Knockout was behind her and looked to his digits for sheer accomplishment.

Knockout: "Poor femmes… Didn't see that coming."

That's when Starscream came by and decided to put en end to this fight once and for all.

Starscream: "I'm getting tired of this. Let's take care of this once and for all. Bring me the white femme!"

Knockout nodded as both he and the Intel Officer started to drag June to the commander.

At the same time, Jack and Elsa were reaching John as they were plowing down Cons that were in the way. With their swords out, they chop through them and avoiding every blaster that was heading towards them. Just then, Insecticons flew down and acted as the last line of defense, shrieking and firing their blasters to them. Rodimus Immediately deployed her energy shield and deflected all those shots while Elsa stood behind him. He could see a huge number of them blocking their way.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Damn! There's too many of them! We can't get through them to get to dad! We need to formulate a plan to take them out."

Elsa though has heard enough and took matters into her own hands.

Elsa de Sica: "I don't have time in planning. I need to get to John now!"

Quickly, she armed her rocket boosters and opened her wings to do a quick jump and flew over the John's son. The Prime saw her flying and tried to get her back.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Elsa wait! Don't do anything too brash!"

She didn't listen, though, as she headed down to the Insecticons. The Insecticons looked up to her and decided to take her out, pointing their blasters to her. Elsa operated her dome barrier and protects herself from the assault, but there were too many to take on by herself. That's when her optic like eyes started to glow and a new ability has emerged. As she was coming down, two of her sharp pony tails started to extended down with wires exposing, making them long enough to take on a lot of Cons. By the time she got to the Insecticons, she spins her body around and the blades on her back followed, spinning in a curve and made contact with the Cybertronian bodies. She soon landed in the middle of the group and stood there while the Insecticons aimed their blasters right at her. But as soon as they did that, their blasters got chopped and before they could react, the rest of their body parts broke apart, leaving of pile of detached limbs and heads. But Elsa still stood there in the middle of the aftermath of her actions. Jack just watched it all go down and was in shock, never expecting her to do something like that. Removing his shield, he quickly approached her and was still in awe.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Wow! Never thought you could do that. How…?"

Elsa stood up and brushed the dust off her metal shoulders and didn't have a clue.

Elsa de Sica: "No idea… Guess it was mostly instinct? Let's get to your dad and rejoin the team."

The two soon rushed to the gift shop and hope that he's all right. But by the time they got there, they could only see the gift shop in ruins and an Insecticon buried underneath it. Realizing the worse, they looked the area to find him, but didn't find anything.

Elsa de Sica: "No, no, no, NO! He was here when I left him on the roof. Don't tell he got killed?"

Jack calmed her down and told her that everything will be all right.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Don't think like that, Elsa. Dad could still be around. He could've survived. Help me find him!"

The two kept on searching and wondered where John was. Suddenly, they could hear the sound of rumbling and turned to see the debris starting to move around. The two starred at it and realized that it might be John down in that rumble. Quickly Jack went up to begin digging through the pile, trying to get to his father.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad! Are you in there? It's me, Jack! Say something! Anything! Let us know if you are all right."

He continued to dig through in hopes of seeing his dad. But when he got the response, it wasn't something he would expect. For almost immediately, the rubble exploded and Jack flew away from it. Landing next to Elsa, she checked on him while he was rubbing his helm from the after affects. But looking up, he discovered that it wasn't his father. Instead, it was an Insecticon, the same Insecticon Bulkhead and Miko knocked into the sky and crashed into the gift shop John was once on. The two starred for a brief moment while Elsa came into the sudden realization.

Elsa de Sica: "I don't think that's your dad."

Jack blinked and knew that she was right.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Really? And what gave that away?"

Almost immediately, the Insecticon extended its talons and looked down to the two with intent to kill. It soon lunged to them as Jack and Elsa split to avoid getting hit. The two got into a quick stance and didn't know what to do with this bug. It soon charged in and was ready to make the attempted strike. But before it could strike, something grabbed it by the wrist. The Insecticon looked to this huge metal hand and wondered where it connects to. That was when it was punched in the face by the next fist. It soon flew to the other end and crashed right into an abandoned restaurant. It slowly started to recover and was going to strike back as it got a good look at what punched it. What it saw is someone inside the Apex Armor, but no clear idea who, giving how fast the individual to piloting it. The Apex Armor pilot soon punched and kicked the Insecticon with all that the armor got. Both Jack and Elsa turned to see the pilot maneuvering the armor and were curious about it as well.

Elsa de Sica: "Whoa! I wasn't expecting that. Who do you think is piloting that thing?"

Jack looked on and didn't have a clue.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Wish I knew. I didn't see any Autobot having possession of it. Maybe it goes automatic without a wearer."

They kept watching on as the Apex Armor went to a brawl with the Insecticon and they fought each other with dominance. The Insecticon used its claws and to slice the armor up, but whoever was wearing it was in a blocking position as it protected itself from the strikes. It soon used its pincers for a one shot kill. However, the pilot in the armor grabbed them and pulled them with all its strength. Getting the foot on its stomach, it did one final pull and the pincers came right off. The Insecticon staggered about and was a little damaged over it. Shaking from the attack, it started to get angry and charged in for a strike. The individual in the Apex Armor decided to use the pincers as weapons as well and would ultimately finish it off. With a quick thrust, the armor pilot quickly used the first pincer to the shoulder of the Insecticon and it screamed in pain. It soon started to get angry and wanted to strike back quickly. It soon raised its claw hands up and begins its brawl with the pilot. The pilot quickly ducked down and sidesteps out of the way. That led to the pilot using the second detached pincer to the back end and was completely immobile. After that, the Apex Armor grabbed the Insecticon by the neck and held him tight. The pilot held on for a few short seconds before immediately cranked the bugs neck in the opposite direction, shutting it down completely. Both Rodimus and Elsa looked on and wondered who was operating it. The Apex Armor walked towards the two as they got a good look of who's the pilot. That said reveal got them in a bigger state of shock.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "No way…"

Elsa de Sica: "Impossible…"

As for Optimus, he was battling Cons while using his phase shifter to let the projectiles and swipes from the opposition. Using his blasters, he shot down a couple while shifting his blades to slice a couple more that were close to him. He was able to withstand the opposition, but there were too many for him to take out. Luckily, he had backup as a bunch more blaster shots passed him and hit a couple of more Cons. He turned back and saw Bee and Smoke rushing to his aid. With their blasters a firing, they headed down to the Prime and gave him an immediate assist. They soon joined them and delivered a few quick moves to knock down a couple of more Cons. The scout used a bunch of jabs to punch the Vehicon in the chest while jumping for a quick front kick to knock him down. Smokescreen quickly flipped up and stood on his servos, using his legs to wrap around his head. With a quick flip down, he dragged the Con down with him and pinned him, using his blaster to destroy his chest before he could get up. Rolling back up, he used his blasters to fire at the others at a close distance as Optimus and Bumblebee joined in on the fight.

Bumblebee: _**(Well, this is bad. What's taking Arcee so long? She was supposed to be back with the others by now!)**_

Optimus heard that and told them to stay their ground.

Optimus Prime: "Remain where you are, Bumblebee. Arcee knows what she's doing. She will bring the Darby family and Elsa back so we will leave. I have high hopes on it."

Smokescreen continued to shoot until he saw something that wasn't part of the plan, or any plan since the negotiation went wrong.

Smokescreen: "Um, sir? I think you should reconsider that."

The Prime looked down to the Elite Guard member and wondered what he meant by that. That's when he heard Starscream's voice.

Starscream: "Optimus Prime!"

He turned to the direction of the voice and saw something that is an extreme predicament. Starscream was there, but he also sees both Knockout and Soundwave holding Altra's and Arcee's arms and keeping them from escaping. The commander starred the Prime down and decided to put an end to this madness.

Starscream: "I've had it with this insanity and I'm no patient bot. Give me the relics and your base location, or these femmes here will suffer!"

He soon got his sharp digits out and was eager to rip their spark chambers out. Optimus could see that and arm his blaster right at him followed by the rest of the team. Scream though decided to raise the stakes and stopped them from what they are about to do.

Starscream: "Uh, uh, uh… I wouldn't do that if I were you. Shoot me, and your nurse gets it!"

He soon got his sharp digits close to her chest and was just inches in ending her life. The group remained firm as Optimus tried to reason with the Con.

Optimus Prime: "Starscream, I know that you are becoming desperate as ever in your loyalty to Megatron. But this doesn't have to be this way. If we can be reasonable…"

But Starscream has none of that and decided to stop this once and for all.

Starscream: "Oh, Optimus, I was going to be reasonable. I was going to accept your terms and be done with the trade. But since you played me the fool and rescue my prisoners behind my back, I'm pretty much done with all this madness. Just hand me what I want, or else."

He tapped June's chest plate and was eager to do it. Optimus stood there and still have his blaster up to Starscream. He cannot surrender the relics and the base location otherwise, June would get terminated. If he shoots, she will get terminated. If he does hand him what he wants, she's going to get terminated. So he's pretty much a lose/lose situation. What is he to do?

Optimus Prime: "This isn't how it was going to be Starscream. You know this is going to end the way you wanted it."

Scream heard enough and told him to decide.

Starscream: "What's it going to be, Prime? Surrender everything, or her life?"

The Autobot leader looked to the situation and do not know how to respond to that. A part of which the commander manipulated it.

Starscream: "Time is ticking…"

Again, silence…

Starscream: "Eh…?"

Nothing… The commander could see that he is conflicted, so he decided to make the decision for him, in the worse way possible.

Starscream: "Hmph… That's too bad…"

He soon lifted up his arm and was about to give a swift strike to the nurse's spark chamber. June looked up to the raised claw and feared for her life, turning away from what is meant to be her end. Arcee is witnessing it and could only utter the one word that she dreads to say.

Arcee: "No!"

He was about to reach down to the medic and ripped out her spark. But almost immediately, nothing happened. Altra opened one of her optic and wondered why he didn't kill her. That's when she saw something that caught her by surprise. The same type of shock that came to Starscream as well as he wasn't expecting what he saw. A huge metal hand grabbed his arm and held it tightly. Looking at it, he knew that it was the same arm from the Apex Armor, the very same armor he lost when it was shot from his servo earlier. Seeing this, he looked down to see who was piloting that armor. That's when he was extremely surprised that the armor is being piloted by a human. And not just any human, but the husband and father of the Darby's, Jonathan Darby. Pretty much everyone looked on in awestruck as June muttered her husband's name.

June/Altra: "John…?"

Scream was even caught off guard by this and was confused.

Starscream: "What the… This can't be possible! YOU?!"

John just simply gave a quick smirk before getting serious and given a serious warning.

John Darby: "No one, and I mean no one, hurts my family…"

Winding back with his other hand, he made a fist and punched him right to the face. The commander was caught off guard by that and flew across the battlefield, landing on the ground and skidding by the back. Both Knockout and Soundwave witnessed it all and didn't know what to say.

Knockout: "Okay… Now THAT is something I didn't see coming."

By the time he said that, he heard a familiar voice from behind.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Then I bet you won't see what's coming up next."

Hearing that, the medic turned around to see who said it. That's when he was greeted by a fist of his own, courtesy of Rodimus Prime himself. He two got sent towards the ground and skidded next to his commander. Soundwave saw this and he too didn't know how to respond. He soon heard the next voice of another familiar face.

Elsa de Sica: "Hey! Mute! Think fast!"

The Intel officer turned to see who it was and saw Elsa de Sica rushed to him and spinning with her whip pigtails. He didn't have time in responding and got whipped on the side and pushed from the impact. He as well skidded on the back and was with Scream and Knockout. During that time, Arcee and Altra were free from the capture and were lucky, yet confused by all of it. Rodimus and Elsa approached the nurse as the son checked on her.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom! Are you okay?"

June shook off the shock and looked to her son to tell him that she's fine.

June/Altra: "I'm good. Thanks for asking. Though I am a little caught off guard by what I saw."

She soon looked to her husband as they were standing in front of them to protect his family. She soon turned back to Jack and asked about that.

June/Altra: "Jack? Your father?"

Jack turned to him and shrugged it off.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Yeah… I know. I was caught by surprise by that as well."

John soon looked back to them and told them to get back in the battlefield.

John Darby: "Well…? What are you waiting for? Get back to the fight! I can't handle these three on my own."

The three heard him as Arcee got up and joined in.

Arcee: "You heard him, you three. Let's put an end to this once and for all."

Pretty soon, they got up got to John's position, ready to finish with the fight. Starscream, Knockout, and Soundwave got up and looked to the entire family taking a stand. The commander himself looks to the situation and could tell that it was a complication.

Starscream: "Looks like a family reunion… Well, no party isn't complete without fireworks!"

Getting his arm out, he pulled the trigger and fired a missile attached to his arm. The missile flew towards them as it headed straight to John. The Darby quickly grabbed it with his huge metal hand and holds it there for a while before it exploded. Thankfully, the Apex Armor protected him from the blast. Yet the three didn't know it until the armor jumped out of the explosion and headed down to them. He soon winded back and delivered a vicious punch right to the commander's head, knocking him down. But he immediately transformed once he was down and flew away from the attack. Once he was away, he called for assistance.

Starscream: "Decepticons! Get that human out of MY Apex Armor!"

The Darby heard that and looked around to see a bunch of Cons approaching him with their blasters armed to attack. They soon started to fire, but the energy projectiles bounced off the impenetrable armor. John looked at this and haven't felt this good since his injury in Iraq.

John Darby: "Bring it on!"

He soon charged in and headed straight to the group. By the time he got to them, he winded back and delivered a swift punch to one of them, knocking him out completely. The other soon gained up to him and attacked in all angles. He was though prepared for this as he fought them in all fronts. Turning to all angles, he used his military training to take them down easily, kicking them, punching them, sweeping them, pretty much everything in his disposal to get them down. As he was having his fun, a Combaticon came out of the blue and charged his prods on his back to bring him down. John was pretty much finished with them as the Cons around him where knocked down. But as he turned around, he got speared and pushed through the condemned buildings and smashed on a wall of an auditorium. Getting pinned, he shook off the attack and saw the Combaticon charging up for a crushing blow. But suddenly, the heavy got heavily electrocuted in the back and screamed in pain. As he limped on John's Apex Armor, the Darby peeked to the side and saw June with her deliberators charged up. She smiled after her quick thinking and was pleased that she saved him.

June/Altra: "Now we're even."

But then, the electricity from her pads overloaded the prods and was about to explode. Seeing this, John got hold of the Combaticon and lifted him up with the armor's incredible strength. Lifting it high up, he turned to see more Combaticons heading towards them and tossed it right at them. Few of them got knocked down and were struggling to free themselves from the comrade's limped body. But in a matter of seconds, the prods exploded and took them all down in one blast. By the time he took them out, he looked to himself and felt amazing.

John Darby: "Holy shit! Check me out! Never felt this good since the Iraq War. Better then a cane in the future. That's for sure."

June looked to him and rolled her optics around.

June/Altra: "Oh John… You can be a problem sometimes."

John looked to her and could tell that she was a little annoyed by that. But that moment soon interrupted as they heard a jet hovering above them. Looking up, they could see Starscream flying high and turned right to them. Flying at high speeds, he was planning to spear the two completely. Almost immediately, they were both speared right through the wall and were in the Auditorium filled with turned over chairs and dangling lights with a stage that was in worse of shape. Course, John stopped him with his armor as an anchor as the boosters kept firing. With a quick pivot, he spun his body, letting him and Starscream go for a ride. It was soon as he let go and the jet flew out of control. Before it crashes right into the high wall and fell. Scream soon turned back into his bot form and crashed to the floor. Feeling absolute pain, he got up and groaned from the aftermath.

Starscream: "I completely forgot about how tough that armor is."

Looking up, he could see John approaching him with his fists ready to pound. Seeing this, he panicked and turned to the wall to run up it. Jumping off the wall, and landed in the middle of the room, only to get into more trouble. Looking back and forth, he could tell that he was in a rock and a hard place. On one side, he saw John with his Apex armor, ready to strike. On the other side, he saw June recovering and was ready for some serious payback. Looking to the two, he could tell that he's pretty much screwed.

Starscream: "Scrap… This is going to end badly…"

The two looked to the commander and knew they got him where they want him. John though looked to his wife and asked for a favor.

John Darby: "June… Honey… Would you like to do the honors?"

The wife smirked and was honored.

June/Altra: "Oh, I'm glad you asked. I want payback for how this Con treated me."

She soon deployed her scalpels and was in a stance to cut the Con up. Starscream saw this and gulped in worry.

Starscream: "Yep… This is REALLY going to end badly."

Getting her blades together, she charged in and ready to deliver a cutting blow.

* * *

Outside of the auditorium, both Soundwave and Knockout looked to the building and could hear a scuffle in there. The medic soon looked at the Intel Officer and asked if they should get in there to help.

Knockout: "Huh… Sounds like our commander is having a bit of trouble. You think maybe we should help him out? You know, just to give him the odds."

Soundwave turned to him with the silent of expressions and was about to come up with an answer. But then, they could hear a voice from behind.

Arcee: "Are you forgetting some bot?"

The two heard that and turned to see Arcee, Rodimus, and Elsa, all of whom are ready to fight. Knockout looked to the three and decided to handle them first.

Knockout: "Okay… Looks like we have these bots and the human to take care of first. Starscream can handle his own."

He soon deployed his buzz saw and drill and sticks it out to attack, while Soundwave got his cables out to strike. Cee, Jack, and Elsa got in their battle positions and were ready for a fight.

Arcee: "All right you two, let's teach these two what happens when they mess with the Autobots."

Jack nodded and was ready to fight.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I'm with you, Cee."

Elsa though looked to the Intel officer and was interested in facing him instead.

Elsa de Sica: "You two go on ahead with Knockout. Soundwave is mine!"

She soon deployed her wings and fired her boot boosters to fly towards him. The femme and future Prime looked to her leaving and wondered if that was a good idea.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You think that it was a good idea in letting her handle Soundwave on her own?"

Cee could see her heading down there and decided to leave her be.

Arcee: "I'm certain she can take care of him on her own. She was the one that fend herself against Airachnid after all. C'mon! Let's revoke his medical license!"

She soon got into a stance and got her blades out for an attack. She soon charged and was ready for a serious fight. The medic smirked viciously and charged in to get his servos on her. When the two collide, they clashed with their close combat weapons and were evenly matched. Blades collide and sparks fly as they were hitting with everything they got. Jack looked on ahead at the fight and sighed.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "That's my girl… Though she might need a little help."

He soon got his Saber sword and energy shield out and ran to her for assistance. Back to the femme, she was evenly matched with the medic and has used everything in her arsenal to keep him down. But Knockout retaliated with some moves of his own and blocked off each attack she puts in front of him. He soon got an opening and decided to take her down the fast way. Deflecting the last blade attack, he got down and did a quick sweep to knock her off her pedes. She soon fell flat on her back and groaned from the after affect. Looking up, she saw Knockout on top of her with his buzz saw up high.

Knockout: "I'm sorry for doing this. But I think I would preserve you head and body for a personal pinup. Now hold still I can take you little head off."

He soon thrust forward and was eager to cut her neck clean off. She quickly lifted her blade up and blocked the attack completely. But with the buzz saw close to her face, she can feel the wear and tear of the blade and the sparks nearly blind her optics. But before anything horrible would happen to her, Rodimus came out of the blue and shoved Knockout out of the way and freed his sparkmate. Turning to him, he was angry over the fact of what the medic was about to do.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "No one hurts my love!"

Knockout slowly got up and looked to see the future Prime looking pissed off. He then decided to get into a fight with him instead.

Knockout: "Oh my… Looks like I ticked off the wrong mech. If you want to protect your femme, by all means. This will make me having her more entertaining."

He got his drill and saw together and was ready to slice and dice. Rodimus saw this and decided to use this momentum to his favor.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Bring it on…"

The medic ran to him and was about to plow through him. Rodimus got to the defensive got his shield up. The Con started to thrust the drill to the Prime in training and the shield deflected it completely. Rodimus held his ground as the shield was holding all of it's own while sparks come out of the drill. Almost immediately, the shield started to crack, as it couldn't take the strain anymore. Knockout saw this and felt ecstatic about it.

Knockout: "What's the matter? Can't fight back? And to think you are the future Prime of this team."

Jack kept on holding his own as he was just smirking at the thought and snickering. Knockout looked to this and wondered what he's up to this time.

Knockout: "Hey… What's so funny?"

The future prime looked up to him and told him of what he was laughing about.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Oh nothing… It's just that I make a really good distraction."

That caught the medic by surprise as he raised an optic ridge and wonder what he meant by it.

Knockout: "What? Distraction…?"

Before he could figure things out, Arcee jumped over Rodimus and delivered a torpedo kick to the face, knocking him down in an instant. Knockout staggered a bit and didn't have a clue on what just happened. Arcee soon stood beside her sparkmate and was soon ready to end this fight.

Arcee: "Ready to end this, partner?"

Jack turned to her and willing to fight.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Born ready!"

With a nod, she looked to the dazed Con and went to the strike.

Arcee: "Then let's do this!"

The two soon charged in and was ready to finish the fight. Knockout managed to recover from the attack and turned to get back to the fight. But by the time he turned, he saw the two ganging up on him and he had little time to fight back. Getting his arms up, she had to block whatever that was coming at him. Arcee soon went through a quadruple spin and used her blades to act as her own buzz saw. With quick strikes, she managed to penetrate the armor and slice to the protoform skin. The medic felt that and screamed in pain, backing up to avoid the fast attack. That soon gave Jack an opening as he ran to him with is shield and whack him in the face, making him feel woozy. With him temporarily dazed, Jack did a quick spin and used his sword, as it was glowing brightly. With a quick swing, an energy wave came out and flew towards the medic. Knockout was able to recover, but not before getting pushed off by the wave of energy. Fully out in the open, Cee decided to finish if off, by running up to him and gives him a quick kick to the chin. That last hit caused him to fall to the floor and was completely like his name, knocked out. Once he was taken down, both Arcee and Jack approached the down Con and pointed their blasters right to him, incase he could get away. Cee gave a bit of a smirk and knew that is was a good enough plan.

Arcee: "Too easy…"

Back to Elsa, she was flying towards Soundwave and was ready for her own brawl.

Elsa de Sica: "All right, you little mute. I'll make you wish you would scream for your mother!"

As she was heading towards him, she armed her blaster and fired multiple shots at him. The Intel Officer raised his arm and deflected her shots while protecting his visor. With his tentacles out, he thrust them right towards the girl in order to catch her. Elsa saw this and decided to get to the defensive and twisted her metal body to avoid all four of the cables. She got close to Soundwave and was about to get him in the spark chamber, but the Con has other tricks in mind. Almost immediately, the chest plate detached and Laserbeak came out of it. Elsa was caught by surprise as she quickly folded her arms and the dome appeared around her to protect herself. By the time she did that, the minicon hit the dome and the collision caused them to go to two separate directions. When she landed, her dome disappeared and looked up to see the metal bird flying away.

Elsa de Sica: "Okay… I'm really starting to hate that bird."

She soon looked back and saw Soundwave taking this opening. He started to use this opening and use the cables to strike her fast. Elsa quickly dodged each attack by flipping and bending to avoid each attack. But it wouldn't be enough to stop him. She needs to stop the fight and fast. So extending her pigtail blades, she waited for all four cables to approach her. When they did, she soon went a quick spin and has her whips go at it. By the time she did that, the cables broke off at the ends and were disabled. Soundwave retracted them and looked at the damaged she had caused, annoyed by her attack. He soon got his resonance blaster out and attached it to his wing, using it as a second based weapon. Arming it up, he pointed to her and it fired a pulse blast right at her. Elsa saw this and jumped with her booster boots, flying high as the spot got an indent from the blaster. She soon landed on the security lockers area and looked to the aftermath of the blast.

Elsa de Sica: "Whoa! That was too close."

She turned to see the Intel Officer turning to her and aiming his blaster to her. Seeing this, she needed to keep her distance from him until she could find a way to get to him. Using her boosters, she launched herself out of the way as the Con fired another pulse wave, pushing the lockers away from where she was. Flying high, she was too focused with the Con that she nearly forgot about his accomplice. She soon felt blaster shots from above and got her energy barrier around her body to deflect some of them. She looked up to see Laserbeak rocketing down towards her with multiple blaster shots.

Elsa de Sica: "Damn… Forgot about that pest!"

She armed her blasters and continuously fire at the metal bird. The Mini Con avoided each shot, switching left and right to dodge each strike. It soon deployed its own cables and tried to make a grab for her. But she saw this and has a smirk on her faceplate.

Elsa de Sica: "Not this time…"

Almost immediately, she twisted her body and avoided the two cables that were gunning for her. She soon grabbed hold of the cable and used her boosters to fly her way up to over Laserbeak. Coming back down, she landed on top of the bird with her metal feet and gripped the cable, tightly. Laserbeak quickly used its other cable to grab a hold of her, just so it can get her off of it. Seeing this, her quick reflexes got her to grab the other cable and started to use them as a way to ride Laserbeak like a horse.

Elsa de Sica: "I can't believe that I'm saying this, but… Ride 'em horsy!"

With that said, she started to ride the Mini-Con like an actual horse. Soundwave saw this and has to intervene. So he aimed the blaster right at Elsa to knock her off his accomplice. Elsa quickly started to maneuver the Con and flew with him, avoiding each shot the Intel Officer. Avoiding each shot, she looked down and knew what she can do to take him out. Looking down to the metal bird, she decided to bring it down to its master.

Elsa de Sica: "Okay, bird brain. You want to be back to your friend? All right, let's bring you down to him!"

With a quick kick the bird and with enough strength, brought Laserbeak down with her on it. Soundwave saw this and had to apply the breaks on this newly formed robot girl. Firing the resonance blaster, he tried to shoot the girl down, especially sacrificing his own Mini-Con. Elsa use quick maneuvers with the metal bird to avoid each shot and rocketed forward. By the time she got close to the Intel Officer, she took the opportunity and jumped off the bird, giving it a quick kick to the back. As she got out of the way, the Mini-Con flew straight to Soundwave, hitting him right in the visor that was already damage from the last attack. That hit caused him to push back, having the visor crack in the middle and knocked him to the ground. He soon landed right on the floor as Elsa landed right on him and aimed her blaster to the officer's cracked up visor.

Elsa de Sica: "Not too smart anymore, huh?"

* * *

Back inside the shuttered auditorium, both John and June were feuding with Starscream with all that they got. June started to use her scalpels to slice the Con up to bits, but the commander got his arms up to block the attacks and was looking for an opening. He quickly ducked down from the last swing and pushed the nurse with a tackle, dragging her right to the wall and pinning her down. Altra struggled, but it was to no avail as Scream wanted to remove one threat from the other.

Starscream: "Since I can't take out your husband, I will abide in taking you out."

He extended his metal dig and was eager to slag her up. But before he could do that, the nurse switched to her pads and gave the commander a complete shock, getting him off his guard. He shook violently and let go of the femme easily. This gave her the chance in striking and performed a high roundhouse kick Arcee taught her and kicked him right to the side of the face and got him a bit of a daze. Shaking from that, he got his blaster out and decided to take aim to her. But before hand, a metal arm grabbed him by the arm and lift it up, causing him to misfire and hit the ceiling. He turned to see the husband with sheer anger on his face.

John Darby: "Don't you dare harm my wife…"

He winded back and deliver a huge knock out punch. He flew to the other side and started crashed through the damaged chairs and groaned from the attack. Looking up, he could see the husband and wife together and were ready for a fight. To that end, he was in a situation that would ultimately lead to his demise.

Starscream: "Stay back! I'm warning you!"

He got his arm up and fired his second rocket right at them. The two side stepped out of the way and the rocket passed them, blowing up on the impact. The two looked back at the damaged and then back to the commander with a _'Really'_ look on their faces. Scream saw this and knew that he was real trouble.

Starscream: "Scrap…"

The two charged in and were ready to finish it all off. June got ahead as she was going to use some close combat tactic. Starscream got up and tries to defend himself. She punched like crazy and was weakening his defenses bit by bit. When she tired out, John was up as he went straight to the assault. Scream could see this and was completely screwed. Ducking and dodging, he was able to avoid all of the swings he can pull. They went to a switch back and forth as they tried to bring the Con down completely. Scream had it with this switch and was planning on making an escape. By the time they made a switch to June, it gave him the chance to get them off his back. Jumping up, he used both his pedes to knock her by the chest plate and she landed on her husband, keeping her from falling. He soon transformed and was about to leave. But John saw this and got Altra out of the way, grabbing him by the wings and keeping him from escaping. The commander increased the thrusters on his jets and was hoping to make a quick get away. But the Apex Armor John had on been too strong, even he cannot get out of this predicament. With that, the Darby twisted his body around and he and the Con spin in a circle. After the tenth rotation, John let go, causing him to fly out of the control before hitting the ceiling with a loud thud. The moment he crashed to the ground, John soon tightened his fist and punched him to the middle of the jet's body, sending him soaring to the disheveled stage. He soon crashed right through the set and was buried in girders, lights, and everything else not bolted down. He transformed when he crashed to the ground and groaned from the attack. As he was in pain, the couple approached him with their shadows loaming over them. The two soon looked to each other and wondered who would finish it. That's when June told her husband to end this fight.

June/Altra: "John…? Will you be a dear and teach that Con a lesson in not messing with our family."

John turned to his wife and couldn't help but to abide.

John Darby: "It will be my pleasure…"

He slowly approached the Decepticon and cracked the armor knuckles to enjoy every minute of it. Starscream though struggled, as he needed to find a way out of the situation that he was in. Crawling to safety, he brushed something and turned to see what he touched. He soon found out what ha touched and smiled when it found his answer. He just needs to reach it so he can pull it off, so he stretched his arm just to get to it. As he was doing it, John was slowly approached the Con as he was ready to lay waste to him, not realizing what he was up to. But he was too focus on revenge for kidnapping him and Elsa, imprisoning his family, and making his life a living Hell.

John Darby: "Well, Starscream… Looks like the Autobots have won. All this hard work for you to get all you wanted has crashed and burned in front of your face. And to think you would use me and my girl to help get what you want. That's quite a shame…"

Starscream was just inches away at what he saw and hope that he could get to it before the worse will happen, while John started to brag around his capture in the ship.

John Darby: "You know, you are going to pay for treating me and Elsa like a bunch of prisoners and bargaining chips for your own twisted deeds. Not to mention torturing us with what happened to my wife and son. I'm so going to enjoy what I'm going to do to you after what you put me and the family through. Last words?"

Starscream was just fingertips away from getting what he saw by the time the Darby was over him. Almost immediately, he got a hold of what he wants and told him of his last words.

Starscream: "Just one thing to get off my chest plate. You said before that I failed in getting what I want. And you must be half right in saying that. But giving what you said, I do believe I have already succeeded."

John looked at him and wondered what he meant by that. However, he brushed it off and raised his fists to pound him down. By the time he was about to smash him, the commander turned and triggered something he got. That was when he stopped in just inches to the Con's body and was still like a statue. June saw this and realized that something was wrong.

June/Altra: "John? What's wrong? Finish him already so we can leave!"

John was trying to, but couldn't as an orangey hue was surrounding him.

John Darby: "I'm trying! But something is preventing me from getting to him!"

As he was struggling, the commander looked to him with a sinister grin and was lucky he found what he needed. That thing is the Polarity Gauntlet that Wheeljack lost during the battle when it was knocked off his servo. It was evidence that the relic must've flew right into the dilapidated remains of the auditorium and was in there for some time until the battle went into the building. And Starscream was lucky enough to find it. Now he has the Darby on the ropes and stood up while he lifted him and the Apex Armor up with ease.

Starscream: "If there's one thing I know about this relic, it's that the gauntlet can magnetize metal, including the Apex Armor you're piloting in."

Altra could see her husband trapped in that state and has to do something.

June/Altra: "Hold on John! I'm coming!"

She got her scalpels out and charged in to get that gauntlet out of the Con's servo. Big mistake on her part as the commander saw her and pointed the gauntlet to her. She was immediately stopped when the orange glow hit her and she lifted up to the same level as her husband. Scream sees the two and decided to get them off his servos.

Starscream: "Hmph… Recruits and humans… They never stood a chance against me."

Hitting on a button, the two were launched by a forceful push, sending them flying straight to the wall and through it.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the team had the situation under control as the Con's forces are thin and it wasn't going into their favor. They all thought that might be able to get out of this after all. But soon, they could hear a crash, as there was an explosion from the auditorium. They all stopped what they were doing and looked at see what happened. That's when they could see two figures coming out of the building and in the air, one of which is too bulky. John and Elsa looked to them and could see the outline of the bodies and knew who they are, screaming their names.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Mom! Dad!"

Elsa de Sica: "John!"

The two fell to the ground in a plum of smoke and were a little dazed from the attack. They soon turned to the building and wondered what happened. That was when a part of the wall fell to the side and collapsed in the process and Starscream walked out of the auditorium with a look of satisfaction. Jack saw him and was seething in his voice box.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Starscream…"

He immediately focused on his attention to him and transformed to speed towards him. Arcee saw him leave and noticed something not right, warning him of it.

Arcee: "Jack! Wait! Don't go there! Something's not right about it!"

But he didn't listen to her and he was going maximum overdrive to reach him. Elsa saw him driving to the commander as well and decided to join in. Looking back down, he told the Intel Officer to stay put.

Elsa de Sica: "Wait here…"

She soon deployed her winglets and used to rocket boots to jump in further distances to get to the Darby. Landing on the roof of the Hummer she kept her footing as Prime in training felt it and used one of his review mirrors to see the metal pigtails flying wildly.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Elsa? What are you doing? I thought you were going to handle Soundwave."

Elsa heard that and sighed to herself.

Elsa de Sica: "I was… Until that Con decided to hurt my handler. He won't get away that easily…"

Jack heard her and was in agreement. After all, this is the same con that took his parents out just now.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Let's do this…"

He soon floor it as the two started to head straight towards the commander. As they were reaching him, Starscream surveyed the damage and was pleased with the results. But then, he turned to see the two kids racing towards him with intent to attack.

Starscream: "What's this? The kids of the parents? So foolish…"

He pointed the Polarity Gauntlet to the two and pulled the trigger. The gauntlet glowed orange and the beam hit the hummer and the girl and they stopped dead in their tracks. They were soon lifted up on the ground and floated up. Jack looked on and didn't like the odds in their favor anymore. Elsa though was in a panic and wanted to know what's going.

Elsa de Sica: "Hey! What's the deal? I can't move!"

Jack looked down and saw the commander holding the Polarity Gauntlet and could tell that it was bad.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Scrap! Starscream has the gauntlet! This cannot be good."

The rest of the team saw this and knew that they are in grave danger. So the Prime told the others to focus their attention to Starscream.

Optimus Prime: "Autobots! Focus your attention on Starscream. He must not let him take that gauntlet."

Miko saw this and decided to strike while she can. Arming her should blades, she fired her missiles and they flew straight towards the commander. Scream saw this and decided to toss both Jack and Elsa right to the mother father, piling onto each other in the process. He soon focused on the missiles and pointed the gauntlet to them, setting up the device to a different setting. The rockets did hit, but they stopped briefly, causing the missiles to bounce up and exploded in the air, creating fireworks in the process. The rest of the team saw this and decided to arm their blasters right at him, since the energy projectiles aren't made of metal. The commander saw this and knew what he can do.

Starscream: "Really? All of you against little old me? How pathetic…"

Optimus saw this and decided to rush in and take him out.

Optimus Prime: "Attack straight forward! Do not hesitate!"

Arming up his blades, he charged in while the rest got their close combat weapons out and charged in as well. Starscream saw this and decided to take them all down in one hit. Tightening the gauntlet, he charged it to full power and placed it down to the ground. This almost caused a huge orange pulse that spread through the ground. The pulse soon caught the Autobots by surprise and made them all float through the air. Wheeljack was shocked by that and didn't think that would happen.

Wheeljack: "Whoa! Didn't think that the Polarity Gauntlet would do that."

Starscream looked to the Wrecker and told him that it was a Con weapon.

Starscream: "Silly Autobots, not realizing of Decepticon weaponry and not using it to its full potential."

With that, he flicked the gauntlet and the rest of the team flew towards where the Darby family is and completely buried into each other next to them and felt a little embarrassed.

Bulkhead: "Well… This is embarrassing… Can it get any worse then this?"

Just as he said that, Starscream looked up at the huge and derogated Ferris wheel and decided to end this little battle once and for all.

Starscream: "Enjoy the ride, Autobots!"

Pointing his gauntlet to the wheel, and pushed the button to engulf the entire ride. The Ferris wheel started to shake violently and started to tip. The Autobots heard the cricking of metal and slowly looked up to see the wheel starting to fall to them, destroying part of the roller coaster that's in front of it in the process. They all had little time in reacting until Arcee muttered what Bulkhead said.

Arcee: "Scrap… You just had to ask that, Bulkhead."

Almost immediately, the Ferris Wheel and parts of the coaster crashed right to them and buried them underneath the wood and twisted metal. The remaining Cons braced for the gush of dust and were completely blinded by the aftermath. By the time the smoke cleared, the group took a good look at the debris that buried the team completely and couldn't believe that the commander would do something like that with the gauntlet. Even Knockout and Soundwave, who recovered from Arcee's, Jack's and Elsa's attacks approached him and was impressed by it, with the medic whistling to himself.

Knockout: "I got to say, commander, you are full of surprises."

Scream turned to the doctor and smirked wickedly.

Starscream: "Of course you think that, Knockout. Course, I was the one that approved of this weapon during the Great War, so it was easy for me to use."

The medic shrugged it off and decided to return to base.

Knockout: "Hmph… Regardless, we still need to return to Darkmount to show our findings to Megatron. Though he won't be happy about what happened with his armada."

The commander just shrugged it off and told him the good part of the whole mess.

Starscream: "True… Our little investigation of the newly create Cybertronians led to a few misdirection's and we didn't get everything from the Autobots. But we were successful in obtaining the only tool necessary for Megaton's protection. That will be enough to gain my trust with him again."

He turned to the remainder of the Cons and told them to fallback.

Starscream: "Return to the Nemesis! It's time to return to Darkmount!"

The Cons heard that as Starscream, Soundwave, Airadicons, and Insecticons transformed and flew up to the warship while Knockout, the Vehicons, Tankicons, and Combaticons transformed and drove into the bridge to the ship the Intel Officer made. By the time everyone was in, the Nemesis turned around and flew away from the now destroyed and abandoned theme park, returning to their base of operations that was once Jasper. By the time the ship disappeared, the place was completely quiet as the corpses of Decepticons strewn across the area. Down at the huge pile of debris that uses to be the Ferris wheel and part of a coaster, there was no movement as for sure the Autobots didn't survive. But almost immediately, Optimus's head peaked out of the pile like a ghost to see no Decepticons around. Knowing this, he walked through the debris as each Autobot and holding each other's servos with Optimus leading the way. Turns out, Optimus used his Phase Shifter to phase out what was meant to be another near tragic event for him. He was able to have each Autobot to grab each other's servos just so none of them won't get crushed by the debris and it was successful in the end. Once they managed to escape, the Prime looked to his team and check to see if they are fine.

Optimus Prime: "Is every bot all right."

Each of them was looking to their leader and was agreeing that they're fine.

Smokescreen: "Yeah… Despite nearly getting crushed by rides and having your life flash before your optics, we're functional."

Miko stretched her back and wasn't happy about it.

Miko/Kaosu: "Speak for yourself, Smoke. After that Hellacious experience, I'm never going to ride another roller coaster if it kills me."

Arcee rubbed the back of her helm and thought that it was finally over. But looking around, she noticed that they were missing a certain family that was in the middle of this mess. Fearing the worse, she turned to Optimus and told him of this family.

Arcee: "Wait! Where is Jack and his family?! They were separate from us during the fall!"

The team heard that and looked around the area, knowing that they were around. That's when Bumblebee stated where they were.

Bumblebee: _**(They must be still in that debris! I don't think they would survive that!)**_

Optimus heard him and looked to the destroyed remnants of the Ferris Wheel, realizing what he meant.

Optimus Prime: "Search the debris! They must be found!"

The group heard him and quickly climbed up the rubble, digging through it to find them. At first, they thought it was impossible and afraid that they lost them. But then, they could feel the area rumbling and nearly lost their footing. That's when they saw part of the Ferris wheel rising up and something coming out. They all soon gathered around the rising debris and armed their blasters, thinking that it could be a Con that survived the mess. But when the debris rose fully, Cee got a good look and was relieved by what she saw.

Arcee: "Jack!"

Indeed, it was Jack, as he, his mother, and Elsa were in one piece with John in his Apex Armor holding the debris up as much as possible. The father looked to the team and told them to help him.

John Darby: "Well, don't just stand there! Help my family out of there! I don't know how long this armor is going hold this up for."

The group heard him and quickly helped him by getting the Rodimus, an armored Elsa, and the nurse up before helping him remove the remainder of the debris he was carrying off of him. Once he climbed out, they all landed on the ground and were all-together again. Arcee soon approached the future Prime and gave him a hug for a bit of a warm embrace.

Arcee: "Oh, Jack! I thought for certain that you were a goner. Don't do anything as stupid like that again! I don't want to see you in the mess like this! You hear!"

Jack was caught off guard as he looked back to see Elsa and his father looking to him with a little grin on their faces. Chuckling a little, he looked back to Arcee and told her to stop it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Sure Arcee, I got it. Just stop doing what you're doing. You're making me look embarrassed in front of my dad…"

John just laughed it up and told him that it was all right.

John Darby: "It's all right, Jack. I knew you two were in item the first time around. Just roll with it."

The son turned to the father and was red in his faceplate.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad…"

The awkward moment managed to end as Optimus stepped in and could tell that things haven't worked the way it should. He soon approached John and Elsa and apologized to them.

Optimus Prime: "Jonathan Darby… Elsa de Sica… I would like to apologize for keeping this secret from the two of you. I was hoping that when things have settled, that we would tell you what really happened to your son and wife. But it seems that the Decepticons have complicated matters that are beyond our control."

John turned to him and sighed to himself.

John Darby: "Gee, you think? Starscream showed me what happened to my family and I had a lot of questions swirling in my head. I understand why you did this, to keep me from reacting rather badly over the whole thing. But like me keeping a secret from you about the Agency last time, there are times that keeping something from me could lead to drastic consequences, just like this for example."

Optimus looked to the distance to see the theme park in more disarray then before and the Cons they killed all over the area. He was silent as he muttered about it.

Optimus Prime: "Yes… This secret went out of control from here. I hope you understand that we didn't mean to bring you and Elsa in total harm."

John shrugged it off and told him that it was no big deal.

John Darby: "Don't be at fault here, Prime. If anyone was to apologize around here, it would be me."

Optimus heard that and looked to him in confusion as the Darby explained his reasons.

John Darby: "I was the one who got worried about my family and had to go through a lot of hoops to find them. I knew you and your team was looking after them while I was back at the Agency in Italy. But when my hometown was attacked by the Cons, I felt like I lost them, the same way I lost my brother. And when I heard that they survived, I wanted to see for myself. Never in my wildest dreams have I gotten my answer in this way. And for that, I never should've been too desperate in getting my answer, only for see the answer in front of my own eyes. Maybe I should've kept myself in the dark and waited until you were all ready to tell me. Instead, I jump the gun and it almost cost you everything. I never should've done that…"

He turned his head away and make sure to hide the tears with his Apex Armor on him. But the Prime could tell that he was at fault in this mess and could understand where he was going with it. Just the thought that you don't know anything and you had to find the answers yourself does lead to some serious consequences. What happened here was no exception. But he was a forgiving Prime as he told John that it wasn't his fault at all.

Optimus Prime: "You can't put yourself to blame, Darby. Indeed, looking into it has lead to trouble, but you had a right to know. You are indeed a husband and father and as such, you need to look after what is more important. And nothing is important then family."

John heard that and turned to the Prime, realizing what he meant. Peaking to the side, he could see his wife and son standing behind Optimus, listening to what the two were saying. He soon looked up to see Elsa on his shoulder and she was listening in as well. Knowing this, he looked to Optimus and was in deep agreement.

John Darby: "You're right, Prime. Nothing is more important then family."

Soon enough, Jack and June left Prime's side as they were face to face with the very person that was a part of their lives from the good to the bad times.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad…"

June/Altra: "John…"

John saw them and couldn't help but to smile to them.

John Darby: "June… Jack…"

The three soon broke off in a group hug; know that they are united, especially after what they all had to go through. Elsa then joined in as she too was a part of this family as well, giving a rocky start the first time around. As they were having their moment, Optimus could hear Bulk from behind and turned to see what he wants.

Bulkhead: "Optimus… Looks like the Decepticons gave us all the slip when we were buried in that rubble. Guess they didn't want to finish the fight after all. Luckily, we still have our Relics and our location to our new base is secured."

Wheeljack soon joined him and told the Prime the worse news.

Wheeljack: "Yeah… But they got away with the Polarity Gauntlet. This could make our chances in stopping Megatron completely slim."

Optimus heard that and knew it would be bad. But was able to soften the blow with his words of advice.

Optimus Prime: "Indeed, loosing the gauntlet would be a set back on our part. But there will be a time that we will get it back from them. There is, however, one thing that we cannot forget. While all that we process is replaceable or retrievable, there is one thing that cannot be replaced."

He soon turned back to see the Darby's and Elsa together in this moment and continued on.

Optimus Prime: "Family is more then just relational, it is a part of the team. These four have proven that the greatest of strengths comes from their bond. And it is that bond that will make them stronger then before."

The rest of the group joined him and watched as the Darby's were finally at peace with each other. Course, even in this moment, doesn't change of what the Decepticons got away with.

* * *

Hours later, the Nemesis returned to Darkmount through the ground bridge and had all the information Megatron needed for answers of the new Cybertronians. Up in the thrown room, Megatron watched intently at the video recordings of MECH's Project Metamorphosis along with what Knockout discovered in the corpse of a MECHicon they discovered at the Morrison Dam. Starscream, Knockout, and Soundwave stood there and were wondering how he was going to react to it. After a long enough watch, he blinked and was impressed by these findings.

Megatron: "How interesting… So MECH were the ones responsible for creating these new Cybertronians. I didn't think Silas and his abomination wasn't bad enough, but now we get this. This is quite a fascinating find, Starscream."

The commander heard him and was delighted by the news.

Starscream: "My liege, I am pleased of your reaction to this discovery."

Megatron stood up and the screens vanished, wanting to know one more thing.

Megatron: "However, your investigation took longer then expected. I also heard that 25% of the armada in my ship is no longer present. I'm curious Starscream, what happened out there?"

Scream heard that and realized that he's starting to connect the dots. But he remain calm and explained about what happened recently.

Starscream: "Yes… That… Well, it is a long story, but I'll summarize as much as possible. See, while we were returning with all the evidence for you, Soundwave's minicon spotted two certain humans. I believe you heard of them… Jonathan Darby and Elsa de Sica…"

That soon got Megatron's attention as he remembered those two.

Megatron: "I recall those names. They were with the Autobots when we extracted Intel in this secret military base in Italy so we can create our own little super soldiers. It failed miserably when the Autobots came and I, an undefeated warrior, outsmarted by a humanoid brat. Though the vengeance of seeing her getting shot by my cannon was all but satisfying. Why you tell me that?"

It was then that Scream explained the story as much as he could.

Starscream: "Well, when we found them, we brought them back to the ship and tortured them for information, specifically on where the Autobots new base is located. Unfortunately, they wouldn't tell us anything, so we contacted the Autobots for a quick trade. I promise them to give them those two alive, in exchange for their base location and the relics they took from our treasury."

Megs heard that and was keenly interested.

Megatron: "And I'm hoping that you succeeded in your end of the bargain."

The commander was a little nervous and explained about that part.

Starscream: "Erm… Not exactly… The trade off was going without a hitch. But what I didn't know is that those Autobots had a few tricks of their own. Easily distracting me, having two of their bots sneaking into the Nemesis, freeing the prisoners. It all escalated into one hot mess as it were. We were able to regain order, but weren't prepared for a few things. For one, this young Elsa girl changing into a mini Autobot version. And two, the Darby in possession of the Apex Armor that was lost in battle. It didn't work out the way I planned it."

Megatron heard this and started to piece together on what happened.

Megatron: "So you failed in getting all that is needed for the Autobot's defeat. How typical of you, Starscream. I was hoping you learned your lesson after the Darkmount debacle."

He walked down the steps of the thrown and was willing to teach him a little lesson. But Scream knows a way to bring back his trust and decided to show him a little something from behind his back.

Starscream: "It wasn't all a failure, my liege. While everything went down south for me, I was successful nonetheless. Behold…"

He soon got his servo out behind his back and showed the very relic he retrieved. Megatron looked at what he got and was shocked by the sight of it. It was a certain gauntlet that is used to attract and expel metal with a flick of the wrist. That weapon is…

Megatron: "The Polarity Gauntlet? How is that possible?"

The commander flicked his wrist around with the gauntlet on it and explained about it without the whole one-sided fight with John and June.

Starscream: "Let's just say that I was lucky enough to find it in the most convenient of places. I used it to get those Autobots off our backs and managed to get away before they would recover. No doubt they escaped what I did to them, but with this back in our possession, you won't have to worry about Optimus getting close to you."

Megatron looked to this and was amazed that he was able to grab one of the most important weapons within their disposal. Looking to it, he grabbed the gauntlet and observed it closely. Knowing he now has an advantage, he smiled and told Starscream that he did a good enough job.

Megatron: "Seems like I underestimated you, Starscream. I thought for certain that you would screw up in a disastrous fashion as before. But giving that you have given me proof of these new Cybertronians and the Gauntlet, you have gained my trust again.

Starscream heard this and was lucky he dodged a bullet and bowed in respect.

Starscream: "Thank you, Lord Megatron. I am under your shadows till the end of time."

Megatron though decided to give him a double dos of reality.

Megatron: "Although I would leave you with a bit of a warning. While you did give me evidence of the new Cybertronians and retrieve the gauntlet that was taken from us, there were many failures during this trade off of yours. I will let what happened slide, but if you fail me in this magnitude again, then I hope I didn't regret you bringing you back to the fold. Do you understand…?"

The commander heard that and was a little nervous. Gulping, he responded as best as he could.

Starscream: "Erm… Of course, my liege. I understand."

Megatron smirked and decided to leave him alone, for now.

Megatron: "Good… Consider yourself dismissed, commander. You deserved a long, overdue break."

He soon walked past the commander and the others and headed to the elevator lift, descending down to put the gauntlet back to where it belongs, in the treasury room. By the time he left them, Scream was pale in the protoform face and didn't think he would get out of that alive. Especially since he screwed up many of times be with or without the armada. He soon heard snickering near him and turned to see Knockout observing the reaction. Crossing his arms, he was a little annoyed by it.

Starscream: "What?! What is so funny?"

The medic cleared his throat and decided to keep it low key.

Knockout: "Oh… Nothing… I was just amazed that you managed to keep Megatron on your end of the trust. You really showed him."

Scream gave him a deep glare and didn't like how he said it.

Starscream: "Shut up…"

* * *

 **And so we end chapter fifteen in a bang. Man, this was a difficult chapter to get through. Mostly because of me splitting it in two parts due to how long it was taking. Still, I'm quite proud of this work, even though the battle ended with an anticlimax. But hey, you have to make what's due. Now be prepared for the final chapter of this story where you will all be surprised as to how it will end. Not going to say it. You have to wait and see. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


	16. Things Change

**Finally, this is it. After months of writing and delays, the work of other stories, and the occasional splitting of chapters, I am done with episode 4 of my own Transformers Prime Season 3 series. I got to say; this was a difficult one to muster. Considering that I have to figure out what to do with the last chapters and the fight scenes, it was extremely difficult in putting it all together. But, I was able to get through with it all and I'm proud to say that it was all worth it.**

 **Now people have been asking me if I would do crossovers for other TFP S3 stories or what now. A part of me would say maybe, but it depends on what to use. I already have a separate TFP crossover of Madoka Magica, which you can have a look at yourself, and I have plans in doing my one crossover of Transformers Prime and Wolfenstein, giving I'm playing the latest installment recently and I have found respect for it. I just need to see what they have plan for the next game and maybe I might have a complete set. I mean, I'm fortunate enough to wait out my Teen Titans/Bioshock crossover when we got all three games wrapped together and I believe it was better then doing it immediately without the full picture. Who knows, maybe the Wolfenstein Crossover would be better then I've pictured once the trilogy is complete, or they would continue like Halo. But I'm getting off topic. Anyways, here's the last chapter of Family where closure is made and changes have happened. What changes you might ask? Read through and see.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or Gunslinger Girls**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Things Change

Hours later, The Autobots and their freed captives headed to the military base of Unit E in Nevada. After a mess in the abandon amusement park, Agent Fowler wanted them back to the base for a small briefing of what transpired.

Agent Fowler: "Prime, I appreciate all of you rescuing John and Elsa from capture and stopping the Cons. But destroying the amusement park and causing serious property damage, that wasn't your call. Do you have any idea how hard it is to explain to the mayor of St. Louis why there were explosions and noises not far from his town? It's extremely complicated!"

Optimus understood that and nodded in agreement.

Optimus Prime: "I could understand your anger, Agent Fowler. But please note that the rescue mission we worked on didn't go as planned. Regardless, we were successful in rescuing the two and managed to survive, if not for one of our relics falling to enemy servos."

The former Army Ranger gave a deep sigh and decided to look at the positive side of things.

Agent Fowler: "Well, on the bright side, it wasn't a total loss. That theme park was abandoned after floods during Hurricane Katrina. There were plans of demolishing the place to make way for a new project. Plus, there were no human casualties present so it wasn't a disaster like Japser. I figure your team along with the Decepcitons managed to save the Louisiana Government time and money for most of the work."

Arcee heard that and crossed her arms with a bit of confusion in his saying.

Arcee: "You say it like it's a good thing."

Fowler rolled his eyes around and decided to continue.

Agent Fowler: "Well, not that I'm saying that the Decepticons did something good for us. It still doesn't mean I forgive them for attacking that town and slaughtering hundreds of people."

The two looked to each other before looking down to Fowler with the femme smirking to him.

Arcee: "Fair enough…."

Fowler then changed the subject and asked of the freed prisoners.

Agent Fowler: "How's John and Elsa? Are they handling the situation well?"

Optimus heard that and turned to see John speaking to his wife and son on the other end with Elsa by his side, apparently back in her normal human mode. Apparently, they needed some private time to get to know of the new June and Jack, considering that what happened the last time was a rescue mission and they didn't have the time to adjust to the situation. Seeing the group together, the Prime couldn't help but to smile over it.

Optimus Prime: "They are adjusting to the situation well. Though it started out rough for them, they seem to be accepting it all."

Fowler sighed and agreed with him.

Agent Fowler: "Yeah… And to think we had covered it up to protect him from what happened. Maybe if we told him sooner, he wouldn't be going through all that trouble in finding them.

Optimus heard that and nodded, getting why they kept it for so long.

Optimus Prime: "That is true… Our hesitation in explaining to John of his family led to this debacle. Have we not kept it from him for so long, he wouldn't be in the predicament in the first place. Still, it is fortunate that they all made amends and the Darby accepted his family as he is. So in the end, it didn't matter if we keep this from him or not."

The former Army Ranger nodded and knew that it was the case.

Agent Fowler: "Does seem that way."

With John and Elsa, the two looked to the Jack and June and was now grasping the situation.

John Darby: "So… This is it, huh? You two started to accept this new life. That you two will live like this for the rest of your lives."

The wife and son looked to each other and get why he's so unsure of this.

June/Altra: "Well, we didn't have much of a choice in the matter. It is irreversible and we can't go back to the way things were. But we adjusted to it pretty well and accept it."

John heard her and knew this is the way things were. He soon turned to Jack and wondered about his future.

John Darby: "And what about you, Jack, son… It's okay for you too? Becoming a Prime is a serious burden and I'm worried about your safety. You sure you want this?"

Jack listened to him and could tell that he was worried about it. So he tried to calm him down.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad, look, I didn't want any of this to happen to me. Not form me turning into a Cybertronian or becoming a Prime. But I believe this was supposed to be my destiny. I didn't want this to be my future, but I too need to accept it as well."

Dad heard this and could tell that he's accepting it pretty well.

John Darby: "But still… It seems pretty sketchy about the whole thing. Being a Prime and all that burden…"

Jack sighed and decided to explain about it and gave him some closure.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad, I get it. You don't like me going into this position. But that is the risk I have to take. I mean you were the one that thinks I have a bright future ahead of me when I grow up. And look at me; I'm living my bright future. Beats taking orders and flipping burgers at a dead end job, I'll tell you that much."

John laughed and remembered him working at K.O. Burger and knew that he didn't want to live like that.

John Darby: "How could I forget about that? You weren't living much of a dream in that place. Guess you're better off being a Prime then that. I suppose I'm proud of you for what you're doing. Just hope that you don't get killed in the process."

Jack smirked and told him that he'll be all right.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Don't worry about me dad. I'll be fine. As long as I have my friends and teammates with me, I'll be perfectly safe. Besides, I have my abilities to take out a huge metal dragon in one swoop. Not like I can handle that."

He soon looked to Elsa and asked about her as well.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Though, I could say the same to your partner. I surprised she changed into a mini Cybertronian and wrecked it up."

John soon turned to Elsa and was a little surprised about it as well.

John Darby: "You and me both, Jack. I did not know that my girl would change and be a dangerous robotic girl with an arsenal in her body. Care to explain to me, Elsa?"

Elsa heard him and looked to both her handler and his son and explained as much as possible.

Elsa de Sica: "Honestly, I wish I knew. When Starscream was going to kill you, I never felt that angry before in my entire life. When it happened, it's almost like I was a completely different person. Still feel like the different person after I figured out how to revert back to normal."

John soon got a closer look and could tell she's the same person, but with one major difference.

John Darby: "You technically look the same. The only difference is that your eyes are bright blue."

And that part is true. Once, before the major change, Elsa had dark green eyes. But now, it has permanently become bright sky blue. Rubbing around her eyes, she understands that part.

Elsa de Sica: "You're right about that one, John. Normally, they could change back and forth, but looks like it's permanently stuck there. Guess I have to get use to this."

John smiled and rubbed her head as a means of being positive.

John Darby: "Trust me, we all need to get use to all these changes."

He soon heard Fowler voice getting closer.

Agent Fowler: "Jonathan Darby."

He turned to that voice as saw the agent approaching him with Optimus and Arcee behind him. Once he approached him, he explained himself of this mess.

Agent Fowler: "I know you have a billion questions swirling around your head and I could tell that you were angry about all this. But know that the reason why Optimus and I kept this from you is for your protection. Guess none of it didn't went the way it came, huh?"

John gave him a stern look to him and tries to cushion the blow.

John Darby: "No, it didn't. To be fair, I was angry about this mess and I have a lot of questions. Still, the one thing I only wanted is to see my family again and made sure that they were still safe after the Jasper Invasion. And now I knew that they are here and safe. Course, I wasn't expecting them to become Cybertronians by some human terrorist organization and my son become a Prime. Regardless, I am still happy that they're fine."

Fowler listened to his side of the story and was glad that it was going to be fine. Optimus soon joined in and decided to end this talk.

Optimus Prime: "Jonathan, it's good that you and Elsa are taking this well then we thought. It's almost like you have accepted it completely."

John looked to him and shrugged his shoulders.

John Darby: "Hey, it's what I said before, no matter what happens, they are still my family. And I am relieved that you keep your promise, despite this hiccup. You will continue to look after them when I leave, right?"

Optimus just smiled and responded.

Optimus Prime: "But of course, John. I will make sure that your wife and son are watched over by me and my team. This time though, if anything ever happened to them, I will speak to you about it post haste."

John smirked at that and knew that he was being honest.

John Darby: "For your sake, Optimus, you better tell me and not keep it from me."

Optimus nodded and knew that he was joking light heartedly. Now that things have settled, it was time to return to base as Optimus spoke to Ratchet in bridging them back.

Optimus Prime: "Ratchet, open a bridge to base. We're heading home."

Just like that, the green and blue portal opened up from behind, waiting for their return. The Prime soon looked to his team and told them to return home.

Optimus Prime: "Autobots, let's head home."

The group heard him as they entered the bridge one at a time. When it was Altra and Rodimus left, they looked down to their only family member and decided to say their farewells.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Well, this is it. Time to go…"

John heard him and nodded in depression.

John Darby: "Yeah… Sure looks that way."

He turned to them and decided to let them depart.

John Darby: "So long Jack. Take good care of yourself."

John turned to him and did that same.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You too, dad. Take care."

He soon looked to Elsa and asked for a favor.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "And you better make sure that he's safe."

Elsa smirked and told him that she got it.

Elsa de Sica: "I've been looking after him for this long. I'll keep him alive until then. Besides, with these new abilities and weapons in me, nothing can stop me."

The new Prime laughed it up and knew that she was joking around.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "I'm sure you will."

June soon got down on her metal knee and went on ahead with her goodbye's as well.

June/Altra: "Bye, John. No matter what happened to us, I just want to let you know that I still love you."

John looked to her and told her the same as well.

John Darby: "And I love you too. Just don't know how to get use to my own wife as a multi story tall robot."

The nurse gave a bit of a chuckle as she told him that it will be all right.

June/Altra: "It might be weird, yes, but I'm still your wife. That part will never change between the two of us."

That's when the two decided to share a kiss between them. Course it would be difficult, giving that they are now both different species. But they managed to get through it with John getting on his tiptoes while June lowered her head to his level. Just as the two were kissing, Elsa and Jack looked to them and were a little uncomfortable about it. That's when Jack broke that moment.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hey there! Not in front of your kids."

The two broke it off and turned to see the two kids looking a little awkward about it. John though smirked and reminded him of his love interest.

John Darby: "Really, Jack. Cause what I remember, you and Arcee have a thing before you became a Cybertronian Prime."

Rodimus heard that and turned red in the face after hearing that.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad!"

Elsa chuckled and thought that was cute.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh, Jack… If you would seen the look on your face."

Jack glared at the girl and rolled his optics around. When that moment was over, he soon approached his father and bend down to his position as he said his goodbyes.

Jack Darby: "Take care of yourself, dad."

John responded with a hug and said the same thing.

John Darby: "You too, Jack."

As they let go of the hug, the two decided to head to the bridge and walked right to it. But before they could enter, they stopped and turned to see the two looking at them. With a tear in his eye, John raised his hand and waved at them. The two soon waved back as they have lubricant tears coming down their side cheeks. Soon enough, the two walked into the portal while waving and vanished completely. By the time the portal closes, Fowler approached the Darby and asked how he was feeling after all of that.

Agent Fowler: "So tell me, John. After what you witness, do you feel guilty in finding your answers and about us keeping that from you?"

John heard him and shook his head.

John Darby: "I was… I never should've taken the risk in getting here to find them. Hell, I would've listen to you or Optimus and I would wait. But now after what Elsa and I have been through, at least I found one piece of closure in this whole thing."

Fowler soon turns to him with a confused look after hearing that.

Agent Fowler: "One part of closure?"

The Darby nodded and explained what he meant by it.

John Darby: "MECH… Jack and June told me about them. They were held responsible for turning them and Jack's friends into Cybertronians and they won't return to their normal selves. They're out there, somewhere, right?"

Fowler lowered his head and answered back.

Agent Fowler: "We are still looking for them along with the Director. But no one has heard of them since the POSGO incident in California. Once they make their next move, we'll know. So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to return to Italy?"

John was about to answer his question. But just as he was about to say it, he heard his phone ringing and wondered who it was. Getting it out of his pocket, he looked at the caller ID and it was labeled 'Jean' on it. He soon sighed and knew what that meant. Ever since he left, he didn't leave any registration papers for permission to cross to the states. Because of that, there will be questions regarding his mysterious leave. So he sighed and decided to get the call.

John Darby: "Give me a moment, Will. I need to get this call."

He soon hit send, and put the phone on his ear to speak to Jean.

John Darby: "Hello?"

That's when he heard a booming voice coming from Jean.

Jean: _"Jonathan Darby! We need to talk."_

John heard that and explained his reasons.

John Darby: "Look, Jean, I understand why you are upset that I didn't sign out or why I didn't tell everyone where I'm going. But I have a logical reason behind it."

Jean though was quiet as he spoke to him of something else.

Jean: _"As much as I want to speak to you of your unexpected absence along with Elsa, I wanted to speak to you about Elsa and her new abilities."_

John was completely quiet and didn't know what to say.

John Darby: "Excuse me?"

* * *

Back at Section 2's medical wing in Italy, Jean was with Bianchi and was looking at the x-rays of Elsa's body and the difference between the two. Seeing that, he spoke to John about what he discovered.

Jean: "I see the x-rays of Elsa de Sica and discovered that there were some physical changes on her body for the past couple of weeks. X-rays that you kept from us for so long until Bianchi had them out for me to see."

The doctor heard him and groaned to himself.

Bianchi: "I'm sorry, John. I never got a chance in hiding Elsa's records when he came in. He just discovered it before hand."

The phone was on speaker as John heard the doctor's plea.

John Darby: _"It's all right. I knew that the secret wouldn't last too long. Don't blame yourself."_

Jean decided to cut to the chase and explained about it.

Jean: "Anyways, seeing these x-rays and the report, it would seem that it would be valuable to the next generation of cyborgs. With some testing, it would give us some advantage against the Padania and the Republican Faction."

John heard it through the other line and didn't like the sound of it.

John Darby: _"You mean to tell me that you want her to be an experimental guinea pig, like Claes."_

Jean rolled his eyes around and told him that it wasn't going to be the case.

Jean: "Not likely, your girl can still go onto missions but at times need to report to the medical wing for testing, just so we can understand her new abilities and mysterious mutations she possess in her body. Any discoveries we find will be some use to our next generation of Cyborgs."

John Darby: _"Even if it means opening her up to find your answer. Even if it means killing her just for the second generation."_

Jean: "Your job isn't to question our goals, it's to follow orders. Not to worry, your girl will be safe. She will continue with her duties during the checkups and she will remain functional for a long time. There won't be any deprecations until then."

* * *

John heard it all through the phone and was silent about it. All that he said was extremely iffy for him and fear what they would do to his girl. Especially considering that they would have plans for their second generations' cyborgs. He didn't want that to happen to her, the way it happened to Claes.

John Darby: "Still not conformable about it."

Jean: _"Either way, you need to return to the Social Welfare Agency at once for a debriefing. Do I make myself clear?"_

John remained completely silent, as his brain was processing what to do. He didn't want to return to the Agency and have Elsa tested on. If they find out what caused her changes and the full on transformation back at the abandoned Six Flags Park, there will be questions and more testing. Worse yet, they will continue with testing and would lead to them opening her up just to see what to use for their second-generation cyborgs, leading to her death. As a handler, it's his duty to protect his girl, no matter what the cost. But would that mean costing his own job and his own vendetta in finding the person or persons responsible for killing his brother at the street bombing in Baghdad. What is he to do? He soon heard Jean speaking to him on the phone again and asking the same question.

Jean: _"John? Are you there? I said, do I make myself clear?"_

John snapped out of it and could tell that he wanted an answer, and fast. So he decided to give him the answer that he didn't expect.

John Darby: "Yes sir… I understand… And I quit."

There was an immediate silence as both Fowler and Elsa heard him saw those words. Even on the phone, Jean was shocked as he responded, as any confused person should.

Jean: _"Wait, what? What did you just say? You quit? You can't quit? You're part of the agency, god damn it!"_

John Darby: "I know that. But I also know that as a handler, it is my duty to protect my girl. That includes saving her from what I fear to be experiments of my own team. You might think you're doing the right thing, but she's my girl and I won't have her get dissected and studied."

Jean: _"What about you vendetta? If I would recall, Lorenzo brought you into Section 2 just so you can find the party responsible for your brother's death. Do you really want to throw all that away?"_

John heard that and knew he has a point. But he remained firm, as he told him of what he had to go through.

John Darby: "You're right, I have to find the people responsible for the death of Kevin. However, after what I had to go through, I do believe I need to be here for my family. So you go ahead and plagiarize me quitting this Agency. I will be with my wife and son and keep them safe. Oh, and one more thing, I'm keeping Elsa! Bye, Jean."

He took the phone off his ear and was about to end the call. But not before Jean tries to stop him.

Jean: _"John, wait! Let's not get ahead of yourself. Perhaps we can come at an accord and resolve all of this. Do not hang the pho-"_

But he soon hit the end button and the call was dropped. He soon turned to Elsa and asked her for a quick favor.

John Darby: "Elsa, think fast."

Getting into a pitcher's position, he tossed the phone in the air and it flew high. Elsa saw this and with a bit of shock, followed it up arming her blaster out of her human skin and took aim, firing a shot right at it. The projectile hit the phone and exploded, sending pieces to the ground. Fowler looked to all of this and decided to intervene.

Agent Fowler: "John! What in the name of Uncle Sam did you just do?"

The Darby turned to the former Army Ranger and told him what he did.

John Darby: "Quitting. I know That I need to find the Kevin's killers, but after seeing my family and what they become, I soon realized that nothing is more important then them. Which is why I'm going to stay here and protect them. They might be Cybertronian, but I need to be there for them."

Elsa soon retracted her blaster back to her hand and approached her handler, wondering of what to do next.

Elsa de Sica: "As much as I appreciate your dedication, John, but what are we going to do now? You pretty much quit your job and I don't think I will be returning to Italy anytime soon. How are we going to survive?"

John looked down to her and knew that she has a point. He quit the Agency just now and no longer has a job. But then, he remembered what Fowler said to him on the phone and turned to the agent for a quick favor.

John Darby: "Say Fowler, that liaison position of yours… Are you still looking for applicants?"

Fowler raised an eyebrow and wondered what he's up to.

* * *

A few days later, down at the Autobot base at Lake Eerie, the Autobots are doing their own thing, as they have no missions to take part of. In Jack's room, he was lying on his berth and was playing the same video of in his memory banks of his father's and uncle's birthday. Which is ironic because it was his dad's birthday today. Seeing them blowing the cake and having fun with friends and family is a memorable moment for him, and he just wish that he stay with them just to celebrate one more Birthday with the team. But he needed to return to Italy and the Agency and has a job to do. But he knew that seeing his family again was the greatest gift of them all. Just then, he heard a knock at the door and turned to see who's on the other end.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Who is it?"

He soon heard a familiar voice on the other end.

June/Altra: "It's mom. Is it all right if I come in?"

Jack heard that and took a breather.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Sure, come on in."

The door soon opened and the nurse started to come in. As soon as she was in, she approached his berth and knew what he's up to.

June/Altra: "Checking all those birthday parties in your memory banks?"

Jack heard her and answered back.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You could say that. Today is dad's birthday and I thought I look back at that party with him and Uncle Kevin. Just wish that dad stayed for a few more days until his birthday. Would be the best thing he ever had in his life."

June chuckled as she sat on the Berth, when Jack decided to sit up and was next to her.

June/Altra: "Would be a trying time for us. I mean we can't eat cake anymore."

The two laughed it off after the joke and he decided to speak to her.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad really cared for us. Giving everything up just to find us, only to see us with his own eyes. I could imagine the questions circling around his head. Was quite the surprise."

June/Altra: "Yeah… That was quite a surprise, even more so then that surprise party me and a couple of his friends in the military set up. Had to keep it low key until they arrived at the house. I was afraid some of my friends at the hospital would spill the beans."

Jack turned to her and could tell that she went to great lengths.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "You took a gamble of that part. I had to keep my mouth shut all school week, no one knew about it, not even Vince."

As the two were talking about past memories, someone entered the room and listened in. By the time the individual heard enough, she decided to speak up.

Arcee: "Didn't think you two follow the path of Decepticons before meeting us."

The two heard that voice and looked up to see Arcee leaning on the doorframe. The two were surprised and didn't think that she was there.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Arcee? How long have you been there?"

Cee rolled her optics around and answered back.

Arcee: "Not long. Been hearing you two talking about John. Today is his Birthday, right?"

Rodimus nodded and answered.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Yep. Since dad decided to return to the SWA and Jasper Cemetery is closed off due to a Con takeover, I decided to spend my time looking at all birthday videos in my processor. Was hoping he stay, but guess that's not going to be the case."

The femme heard it and got to his side, picking up the picture of the whole Autobot team with John and Elsa on it when they first arrived and remembered about that time.

Arcee: "I never knew much as you two, but the first time they arrived was a memorable, up to when Airachnid attacked us. Quite the surprise on both our counts. Still, it was the best thing that ever happened to everyone. Cause of that, we not only had some closure with everyone, but it lead to John and Elsa getting into an adventure with us."

Jack smirked and remembered.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Right… Because rescuing Elsa and recovering the Intel the Decepticons took from Italy wasn't bad enough. It was Elsa who got shot by the Dark Energon blaster after saving dad. That was a grueling experience."

Arcee nodded and was in agreement.

Arcee: "Yeah… I know… Point is that you two are lucky, having a father and husband respect you as much you two did with him. It is the same with me and my sisters. We look out for each other and respect one another. They are as much as family as you are with John. And trust me when I say this, seeing him find you two and reunited with him and Elsa, that's the best birthday gift ever."

The two turned to her and was silent. By the time things have settled down, the green alarm blared and the group looked up to it.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Proximity alarm? What's going on? Fowler's here?"

Arcee noticed it too and decided to check for herself.

Arcee: "If he was coming, he should've contacted us from the start. Something's not right. Let's check it out."

The femme soon left the room and was heading to the command center. As she was leaving, she called the two out to follow her.

Arcee: "You guys are coming?"

The two looked to each other and decided to check it out as well. Jack soon looked to the open door and responded back.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Coming!"

The two got off the berth and left the room as well, wanting to see what's going on.

* * *

Back at the command center, Ratchet was on the consol looking at the radar that someone was coming. As he was looking at it, the entire team, including Jack, June, and Arcee entered and wondered what's going on.

Smokescreen: "We heard the alarm blaring and the lights blinking. Something happening? Cons have found our base?"

Ratchet looked to the group and told them that it was something very important.

Ratchet: "Calm down Smokescreen. Our new liaison is approaching our base."

The group remained silent and didn't see that coming.

Bulkhead: "Hold up. New liaison? I thought Fowler was looking for one since he was relinquished of that title after Morrison Dam."

Ratchet turned to them fully and explained about it.

Ratchet: "Oh, he was looking for one. But a few days ago, he managed to fine one suitable for the job and would be someone that could do a good job as Fowler."

The group heard that and was surprised by that.

Wheeljack: "You're saying that we got an liaison days ago and he's on his way right now. Why didn't you tell us about it till now?"

Ratch shrugged it off and told them the honest answer.

Ratchet: "It was under Fowler's orders. He said this new liaison is a special one and wanted to keep it a secret until he's settled in and arrives here. Course, that wasn't the case, considering the proximity alarm was triggered when he crossed the territory."

Bumblebee thought it was weird and was concerned about this guy that's coming.

Bumblebee: _**(So we got a new liaison that didn't want to be announced until he arrives here. Thought that he would be introduced to us when he was hired on that day. So who is that Liaison? Someone we know?)**_

Raf joined in and agreed with what Bumblebee said.

Raf/Firewall: "Bee's right, Ratchet. They should've introduced us the moment he was hired so we know who we're dealing with. Let alone get a profile of his work ethic."

The medic turned to the hacker and scout and told him as much as he knows.

Ratchet: "I'm sorry, but Fowler never mentioned to me of who our new liaison is. All he said is that he hired him and he's on his way just now."

Now it felt like a lot of question marks over their heads and Miko came in with worry.

Miko/Kaosu: "So we got a liaison that didn't announce his arrival till now and we have no background on the guy. Great… Why do I get the feeling that he's going to be a Sergeant Slaughter or Mr. Platoon himself?"

Jackie grunted and didn't like it either.

Wheeljack: "Tell me about it. The last thing I want is to be ordered around by a stiff neck like the last Wrecker leader. Not my idea for fun."

Arcee could hear them complaining and decided to be the cool head. Reaching to the middle, she told everyone to not get worked up about it.

Arcee: "Calm down everyone. None of us don't like the idea of a new liaison for our team. But we knew it was inevitable when Fowler was removed from that position. If we can just see first on what this new liaison can do, the maybe we can get use to it."

Everyone turned to her and was still dicey about it.

Bulkhead: "Easy for you to say. I bet by the time he gets here, he will drill us of what happens and what we should be doing, keeping us in line and all. It is going to be a nightmare for all of us."

By the time he said it, they heard one more set of footsteps heading to their direction. Turning to that direction, they could see Optimus approaching them, almost fully recovered and barely walking normally. When he got to them, he decided to give them his own advice.

Optimus Prime: "While it is suspicious that our new liaison needs to be annomonous until he arrives, it is important that we treat him with the same amount of respect as Fowler. Even if he would be strict with us, he needs to be treated as equal."

The group heard him and never thought he would say things like that.

Smokescreen: "And you expect us to respect him, even if he would keep us all in line. With all due respect, Optimus, there's no chance that he and the rest of us will meet eyes and optics on this."

The Prime looked to the former Elite Guard member and could tell he and others are unsure.

Optimus Prime: "While it is true that we do not know how he will treat us by the time he arrives. But one thing's for sure, this liaison must understand that even if he would get us down to his level, he must know that the fate of the Earth is at stake. We need to let him understand that we cannot stand by while the Decepticons have threatened this planet. That is something we cannot ignore."

Jack then decided to join in, since he's a future Prime, and share his two cents.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Besides, we don't know who this liaison is and it could be a surprise individual. Who knows, maybe he wont be as bad as we all think."

The group looked to Rodimus and could tell that he was trying to be like Optimus. Course, Miko rolled her optics around and didn't think that would be possible.

Miko/Kaosu: "Right… Not as bad as we think… I hate to put to you Jack, but I don't think you're good at the Prime speech."

Jack could simply glare at her and could tell that she wasn't buying it. Before things would go from bad to worse, Ratchet got a beeping signal coming from the console and looked to see what is it. Turning to that direction, he could see the beep getting closer to the base and knew that it was the new liaison.

Ratchet: "Looks like he reaching the entrance of our base. I'll open the entrance in the boathouse for him. Be ready to give him a proper welcome."

He soon pushed the button and the entrance door opened up for the person to get in. The group approached the ramp that will take him down and waited for him to arrive. As they were waiting, Wheeljack decided to find a proper welcome.

Wheeljack: "So, how should we greet him? Shall we give him the old Wrecker welcome? Or maybe something a little more aggressive?"

Miko thought of it and came to a conclusion.

Miko/Kaosu: "If this guys not a problem, the Wrecker welcome. If he becomes a stick in the mud, then we'll get aggressive."

Wheeljack smirked and like the sound of that.

Wheeljack: "Sounds like a plan."

Cee heard them and told them to cut it.

Arcee: "Will you two stop that? No one is giving our new liaison a welcome that would make matters worse. Just stand at attention and don't do anything stupid."

As the group continued to wait, Jack heard something that was coming from the entrance and it was something he didn't expect.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Hey guys… You all hear that? It sounds like, music?"

Indeed, it was music. _'Brandy (You're a fine girl)'_ by Looking Glass to be précised. But also, they could hear the sound of a motorcycle engine from the distance as well. Apparently, only one person could drive a motorcycle and listen to classic rock. But there's no way he is back. It can't be. Can it? Soon enough, they could see someone approaching the entryway of the base and was riding a black Harvey Davidson Café Sportster XLCR bike in pristine condition for a 1972 motorcycle. Seeing this, they immediately realize who was on the bike, or more accurate, who the two are. Because there are two people sitting on that bike, one an older male and one a younger female. Once they dismounted, they removed their helmets and gave the team quite a shock as they all said in unison one name.

"John?!"

Yes, it is Jonathan Darby and Elsa de Sica, only this time, dressed differently. John was sporting a suit and tie outfit, something Fowler usually wears. And Elsa had on what looked like a gray and white schoolgirl uniform, but kept her low pigtails and her inhuman blue eyes. The group couldn't believe that he was back at a short time as Jack and June approached him with a lot of questions swirling around their processors.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Dad?! What are you doing here? I thought you were back at the Social Welfare Agency in Italy."

The Darby looked up to his son and told them what happened.

John Darby: "I was, a few days ago. I decided to quit the SWA after you left."

June heard that asked why he left the agency.

June/Altra: "Why would you do that? I thought you want to find the people that killed your brother."

John listened to her and explained why he did that.

John Darby: "That's true. But I immediately realized something. While finding my brother's killer is important to me, there was one thing that matters the most. That's you two. After what you two have been through, I decided to keep my investigation on hold to be with you both. That is effective immediately, I'm officially your new liaison for the team."

That gave the team quite a shock as Kaosu spoke about it.

Miko/Kaosu: "Wait a sec. You are now our liaison?!"

John turned to the Wrecking Cadet and was told her the worse case scenario to her.

John Darby: "You got that right. And just because I'm here, doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you. Because if you tend to be reckless and jump the gun, I promise you, there will be consequences. Ain't that right, Elsa?"

The girl heard him and nodded in agreement.

Elsa de Sica: "Oh yes, sir. There will be trouble."

She soon lifted her arm and rolled up her sleeve, letting it open and shift into her blaster. Miko saw this and laughed a little nervously.

Miko: "Heh, heh… Sure thing… Not a problem…"

Elsa smirked and retracted her blaster back while John looked up to his family members and was proud to see them again.

John Darby: "June… Jack… It's good to be back with you."

The two stood there in silence as they too smiled and was happy that he was back with them.

Jack/Rodimus Prime: "Yes dad, it's good to have you back. Happy Birthday!"

Soon enough, the two got to John and they gave him a warm hug, despite the size. Optimus looked to them and couldn't help but to smile. It is amazing that the three were reunited and can now be a family again, despite the few hiccups. But to the Darby's having John back and is a permanent part of the team is the greatest gift of them all.

The End

* * *

 **So, that's the end of the story. I hope you all have enjoyed this. Got to say, it took longer then I've imagined, but it was a sweet way in ending the episode. I'm certain most of you are wondering if John will find the people that killed Kevin. Well don't worry. This is a bit of a hiatus, as he will search for answers while on Team Prime. But you all have to wait to see what happens. Anyways, stay tune for the next story/episode of TFP, my version of Season 3, where we'll have two missions instead of one. You just need to read it to see for yourself. Thank you for reading this story and stay tune for more. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?**


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